Borussia Dortmund are now nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday.
First-half goals from Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus secured the victory at Signal Iduna Park, despite a stunning strike from Max Kruse.
The result stretches Dortmund s lead over Borussia Monchengladbach, who drew 0-0 at Hoffenheim, with champions Bayern Munich also nine points adrift after their 4-0 thrashing of Hannover.
It also means Lucien Favre s side are guaranteed to head into the mid-season break as league leaders for the first time since 2010-11.
Alcacer headed home Raphael Guerreiro s cross 19 minutes in, taking him to 11 goals in the league for Dortmund in 10 games, one more than he managed in 37 LaLiga appearances for Barcelona.
3 is only the 3rd player in history to score 11 goals in his first 10 matches after Horst Hrubesch and Klaus Matischak. Olé.
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz)
Jadon Sancho teed up Reus to sweep home a second before the half-hour mark, but Kruse halved the deficit prior to half-time with a thumping half-volley from 20 yards out.
Werder applied some late pressure in the second half but Dortmund held firm to make it 15 league games unbeaten this season, despite Mario Gotze s late finish being ruled out for offside by VAR.
