Serge Gnabry scored a hat-trick and laid on a double for Robert Lewandowski as Bayern Munich moved nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 5-0 thrashing of Stuttgart.
Gnabry, making his first start for almost a month, opened the scoring in the first half and clinically doubled the champions’ lead after the break behind closed doors at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.
The outstanding Gnabry then set Lewandowski up twice and completed his treble as the leaders ran riot in Julian Nagelsmann’s 200th Bundesliga match as coach, scoring three times in the space of five second-half minutes.
Bayern lost Kingsley Coman to an apparent hamstring injury, but cruised to a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions.
Gnabry was a livewire from the start and he flashed an early shot across the face of the Stuttgart goal before Lewandowski fired straight at goalkeeper Florian Muller.
Omar Marmoush dragged a tame strike wide against the run of play before Gnabry put the champions in front, finding the back of the net with a classy first-time right-foot finish after Leroy Sane – on for the injured Coman – set him up five minutes before the break.
Stuttgart showed plenty of endeavour following the interval but Gnabry struck again in the 53rd minute, taking a pass from Thomas Muller and beating Marc Oliver Kempf before calmly slotting home with his left foot.
Gnabry then turned provider, picking out Lewandowski with a superb pass which the striker controlled on his chest and raced into the box before nonchalantly lifting the ball over the advancing Stuttgart keeper and into the net.
The same pair combined again as Lewandowski was on hand to slot home inside the six-yard box from a Gnabry cross.
Gnabry then capped a brilliant performance by tucking in from close range after the busy Florian Muller could only palm into his path with 16 minutes to go.
Bayern blew Stuttgart away in devastating fashion as they increased their lead at the summit ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund’s clash with bottom side Greuther Furth on Wednesday.
They have now scored 98 away goals against Stuttgart, setting a record for the competition that Borussia Monchengladbach previously held with 96 against Cologne.
Nagelsmann will also be delighted with an elusive first away clean sheet in 11 Bundesliga matches.
After being made to wait for a start following a spell in quarantine, Gnabry ought to get a run in the side after this outstanding performance.
The 26-year-old’s treble came despite an expected goals figure of 2.23 and he showed great awareness to twice set up Lewandowski.
Lethal Lewandowski
Poland captain Lewandowski now has astonishing 29 goals for the season in all competitions before the turn of the year.
He scored a hat-trick when Bayern thumped Stuttgart in their last meeting in March and could easily have had another.
