Bayern Munich snapped a three-game losing streak by edging RB Leipzig 2-1 at home on Saturday, Harry Kane's late winner trimming Bayer Leverkusen's lead at the top of the Bundesliga back to eight points.
Unbeaten Leverkusen won 2-1 at home to Mainz on Friday and Bayern, who announced in the week they would part company with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, made sure the gap did not stay at 11 points with only 11 games left.
"I believe the best team won today," Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told Sky before being asked about Tuchel's future exit.
"It's a bad reflection on all of us, the players. It is like in school when it is not just the teacher's fault if grades are bad, we have to take responsibility as well."
The Bavarians had lost three games in a row in all competitions for the first time since 2015 and Tuchel reacted by bringing in centre back Eric Dier for Kim Min Jae and moving Joshua Kimmich from midfield to right back.
The defending champions, who have won the last 11 titles, went close early on when Kane's header was saved and later the England captain could not get enough power on an overhead kick.
The breakthrough finally came in the 56th minute when Bundesliga top scorer Kane notched with a powerful left-foot finish.
Fifth-placed Leipzig had their moments, and Benjamin Šeško equalized via a deflection having previously been superbly denied by Neuer, but Kane had the last laugh with another expert finish with his left in stoppage time.
It was the striker's 27th goal of the league season.
The Red Bulls stay a point behind Borussia Dortmund in fourth ahead of the Black and Yellows welcoming Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Third-placed VFB Stuttgart were earlier held to a 1-1 draw at home by lowly Cologne and lie six points behind Bayern.
Stuttgart led in the second half through Enzo Millot after a fine move but the Billy Goats soon hit back thanks to Eric Martel.
Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller told Sky: "After we went 1-0 up, we played arrogantly and we made some simple mistakes and let Cologne back in. At 1-1 we pushed but Cologne defended well."
Cologne sit in the relegation play-off spot and have a two-point cushion over Mainz.
Bottom side Darmstadt are two points further back after a battling and unlucky 1-1 draw at seventh-placed Werder Bremen. But it is still 16 games without a win for the Lilies, who thought they had won it twice but for VAR to rule out goals for offside and handball.
Union Berlin nudged further away from the drop zone after coming from behind but then drawing 2-2 at home to Heidenheim.
Germany wingback Robin Gosens and Hungary midfielder András Schäfer, via a deflection off team-mate Brenden Aaronson, got the first-half goals for Union but Jan-Niklas Beste with a special team goal added to Nikola Dovedan's opener.
Borussia Mönchengladbach went above Bochum into 11th with a 5-2 win after the visitors, in salmon pink, had an opener ruled out for handball. Bochum had beaten Bayern last weekend.
The game kicked off late due to traffic. This weekend there has been no sign of the tennis-ball protests which have dominated the league in recent weeks after the German Football League (DFL) opted to abandon talks with an external investor on Wednesday.
Also on Sunday, Eintracht Frankfurt host Wolfsburg and Augsburg entertain Freiburg.
