Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern cruising, Frankfurt flying

Good weekend for: Eintracht Frankfurt, Marco Reus, Mario Gomez, Dominic Tedesco, Mainz

Bad weekend for: VAR, Gladbach, Hamburg, DFL, Martin Schmidt

The Lowdown

— Arguably the most thrilling game of the weekend came in the unfamiliar Monday night slot, which in itself was a huge talking point. The DFL's decision to schedule a game on Monday's was met with fury by the Frankfurt fans who caused a delay at the start of the game and then pelted thousands of tennis balls onto the field and covered one of the goals in toilet paper at the start of the second half, causing another delay. Safe in the knowledge they had made their point, Frankfurt fans went on to watch their team produce a pulsating performance against RB Leipzig to win 2-1, sending them third in the table.

— Just when Bayern Munich looked like dropping points for the first time since November, they pulled a rabbit out of the hat to move a step closer to the title in record time. The exciting action is below the leaders though, with Borussia Dortmund finally looking like a side worth taking seriously again with a hard-fought and deserved win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Dortmund now lead the charge for second.

— Borussia Dortmund have started to click in attack, with Marco Reus, Mario Götze and Andre Schürrle showing signs of a great understanding just behind Michy Batshuayi in attack. The German trio combined for Dortmund's goal at Borussia Park and Reus' finish was something to behold — his first goal since May 2017. The less said about Dortmund's defense the better, but these three forwards could be the key for Dortmund finding some momentum for through the final  of the season.

— Hamburg are starting to be cut adrift at the bottom following a vital victory for Mainz in Berlin on Friday night. Cologne got another point and Hamburg are feeling the pressure from above and below them. They clawed a goal back against Leverkusen and made the final few minutes interesting, but ultimately walked away with nothing again. They haven't won since late November and, while they are competitive and only losing games by one or two goals, they look short on ideas and desperately short on inspiration. This is looking like the year that the clock finally stops ticking.

Read more: Bundesliga Matchday 23 roundup

The Stat

Dortmund's win at Gladbach makes Peter Stöger the first Borussia Dortmund coach to remain undefeated in his first eight Bundesliga games, picking up five wins and three draws since taking the reins from Peter Bosz in December.

Best quotes

"Well, it's not the greatest pitch we've played on..." — BVB coach Peter Stöger

"Marco Reus' shot hit the bar and then went in. For us, it would probably have bounced out.” — Gladbach defender Matthias Ginter

"Frankfurt has been relegated four times, Cologne five times and Schalke three times. One can see the clubs still exist. What I am trying to say is: you can't call it a sporting apocalypse if it doesn't turn out that way." — Hamburg Chairman Heribert Bruchhagen on the state of the club

"One miss in six years - that can happen. It's a good statistic." — Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben on his missed penalty

"Ambitious fans seek motivated team." — A banner from the Wolfsburg fans

The News

Late on Monday afternoon, Wolfsburg confirmed that coach Martin Schmidt had quit. He leaves the club one point above the relegation playoff place but his decision has clearly shocked the club's board, who were fully behind Schmidt. "We were all totally convinced that we would turn the tide together. This move from Martin Schmidt was surprising and unforeseeable, especially as we do not fully understand all his reasons," managing director Tim Schumacher said in a statement. Wolfsburg face an important relegation clash against Schmidt's former club Mainz on Friday, as they search for their third coach this season.

The Weird

The first person to hobble off the field in the full-bloodied contest between Schalke and Hoffenheim was… the assistant referee. While flagging for an offside, he turned his ankle and hit the ground like a ton of bricks. After initial suspicions of diving, he was clearly no longer able to continue and was replaced by the fourth official.