Bayern Munich survived a late onslaught and snatched all three points at Stuttgart following a hard-earned 2-1 victory in the 23rd round of Bundesliga.
Both sides staged a lively opening period as Joshua Kimmich unleashed a dangerous hammer from distance in the 12th minute before Stuttgart's Hiroki Ito pulled narrowly wide five minutes later at the other end of the pitch on Saturday.
Bayern gained momentum as the clock ticked and came close through Leon Goretzka, who forced Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow into action twice in quick succession with 19 minutes gone, a Xinhua report said.
Stuttgart remained dangerous though, but Silas Katompa Mvumpa couldn't beat Bayern custodian Yann Sommer from close range in the 36th minute.
It was the Bavarians who opened the scoring four minutes later when Matthijs de Ligt drilled the ball past Bredlow from 23 meters to make it 1-0.
The German giants paved the way for a win early in the second half after Thomas Muller's lay-up inside the box found Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who slotted home from seven meters at the hour mark.
Bayern ceased its offensive fire and allowed Stuttgart to pull one back in the 88th minute after Juan Jose Perea headed home Tiago Tomas' pinpoint cross.
Stuttgart pressed forward but Julian Nagelsmann's side was able to survive the late scare and reap crucial points in the title race. "We are happy with the win. We are back on top and that's a great feeling.
We controlled the proceedings, but it wasn't a faultless performance by us," said Bayern captain Muller. Elsewhere, Union Berlin dropped points after sharing the spoils with Cologne following a goalless stalemate.
Bottom side Schalke downed Bochum 2-0 to secure vital points in the relegation battle. Augsburg beat Werder Bremen 2-1, Mainz edged Hoffenheim 1-0 while Borussia Monchengladbach and Freiburg played out a 0-0 draw.