Hometown hero Reus propels Dortmund's title charge

Dortmund's run since the turn of the year is laying the foundations for something potentially very special in these parts. It's eight from eight in the Bundesliga after this riproaring Friday night classic under the lights, sending Dortmund three points clear to position themselves as the chief challenger to Bayern Munich's decade of domestic hegemony. 

"I don't want to arouse too much euphoria but I remember that we were in sixth place before the winter break," Marco Reus said with a smile after the game.

One can't blame him for getting a little excited. Eight wins on the bounce — ten if you include the Cup and Champions League — equals a club record set in 2011-12 when Jürgen Klopp used to walk the corridors here. Edin Terzic has the keys now and he's overseeing a spell of form that is every bit as energizing as what Klopp brought to this club.

The atmosphere in Signal Iduna Park was raucous, with a banner unfurled on the Südtribüne at kickoff reading: "Even a trophy doesn't change anything - no acceptance for RB." The wall of sound was muffled only in the final 15 minutes after Emil Forsberg had halved Dortmund’s lead.

It was an anxious finale for Dortmund fans as Leipzig put the hosts under increasing pressure. Previous editions of Dortmund in the last decade may have cracked under the pressure of that final quarter hour but this was a night when 80,000 fans roared after every blocked cross or crunching tackle. As Leipzig ended the game strongly, Dortmund had to fight for this win and just when the visitors thought they'd got a point in injury-time, Nico Schlotterbeck made an amazing goal-line clearance from Timo Werner.

Reus hits new milestone

If this was a victory Dortmund secured with grit, it was built on the attractive, attacking vibrancy of the first half. Julian Brandt was outstanding again — an unfortunate handball ruled out by VAR in what would have been a fifth goal in as many Bundesliga games — and Marius Wolf enjoyed one of his most influential games in a Dortmund shirt.

Reus was back to his best too, winning and scoring the opener from the spot after being caught by Leipzig keeper Janis Blaswich. It was a goal that draws him level with Michael Zorc as Dortmund's second highest goalscorer, now only behind the legendary Manfred Burgsmüller.

No one has given more to this club over the past decade than Reus, now into his 11th season at Westfalenstadion. Reus could easily have swapped Dortmund for Bayern in pursuit of personal glory but his loyalty has made him a club legend. But watching Bayern dominate year after year will have hurt him as much as the long list of injuries that have blighted but not broken his career. He deserves more than the couple of German Cups he has collected in that time and this is looking like his best shot.

Unsung hero Can an asset at both ends

The second goal of the night came from an unlikely source. Emre Can doesn't always get the credit he deserves but often plays a crucial role. The Germany player can be overshadowed by the talismanic Jude Bellingham, but in his preferred role of central midfield, Can is dynamic and capable of bringing as much to Dortmund's attacks as in defence.

Can's big moment came a few minutes before halftime when he pounced on a half clearance from a freekick, pounding the ball into the ground and beyond the unsighted Blaswich. The back-up keeper endured a tough night in the Leipzig goal, redeeming himself in the second half with a world-class save to deny Reus his second.

Can though, enjoyed one of his best. The former Liverpool and Juventus player is still only 29, even though it feels as though he’s been around a lot longer. While he is susceptible to the odd lapse in concentration — his misjudgement let in Christopher Nkunku for a one-on-one in the seventh minute — his experience makes him an asset to Terzic.

His primal instinct is to defend and he formed an effective wall alongside Bellingham and Salih Özcan, limiting the influence of Forsberg and Dominik Szoboszlai. Can could be seen coaching the less experience Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Ryerson through the final stages too.

In this kind of form, Dortmund's title credentials are growing stronger by the week. If anyone is going to prise Bayern's hands off the Meisterschale it’s surely the Black and Yellows, who make the short trip to Gelsenkirchen next week for a Ruhr Derby in which they will be overwhelming favorites to win again. "We like to go with the flow but no-one is going crazy," Reus said.

But this definitely felt like a big night in their title charge and April 1's Klassiker could be pivotal.