Kick-off at Borussia-Park was delayed by 15 minutes after Bayern’s bus arrived late due to traffic. But rather than the visitors, it was the hosts who were nearly caught cold when Luis Diaz fizzed a right-footed shot agonisingly wide inside the opening 60 seconds.
As the only winless side in the Bundesliga, Gladbach knew they were in for an almighty test against the league leaders, and their task only got tougher when Jens Castrop was given his marching orders in the 18th minute for a dangerous studs-up challenge on Diaz.
Unsurprisingly, Gladbach duly adopted a compact shape in a bid to frustrate a Bayern side that created two openings for Harry Kane and Tom Bischof to test Moritz Nicolas in the closing stages of the half.
Nicolas’ crucial interventions ensured the hosts reached a key checkpoint without any damage, helping his team become the first side to stop the Bavarians from scoring in the first period this season.
However, Bayern returned from the interval with greater intent as they set about breaking down Gladbach’s stubborn defence. Michael Olise was denied in quick succession by Kevin Diks and Nicolas, before the prolific Kane had a composed strike chalked off for offside.
That decision only delayed the inevitable Bayern opener by a couple of minutes though, as Joshua Kimmich stepped up to the plate as captain, stroking a controlled finish into the bottom corner after seeing his initial effort blocked.
With Gladbach’s resistance broken, Vincent Kompany’s charges quickly added a second through half-time substitute, Raphael Guerreiro, who swept the ball past the onrushing Nicolas after being teed up by Olise.
The home side’s frustration was then compounded when Kevin Stoger blasted a penalty against the upright after Bischof was penalised for a foul on Diks.
In contrast to Stoger, Bayern youngster Karl had no trouble finding the net, bending an unstoppable long-range shot beyond the helpless Nicolas to score in back-to-back matches and seal a comfortable win.
Bayern have now won all 13 of their competitive matches this season, keeping them five points clear at the top and the hosts four points adrift from safety.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
