Big wins for Bayern, Dortmund in thrilling Bundesliga title race

Thomas Müller scored upon his return into the starting 11 as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich trounced Schalke 6-0 but Borussia Dortmund remain on their heels with an equally impressive 5-2 over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

The results leave the top of the table unchanged, with Bayern taking a slender one-point lead over Dortmund into the final two matchdays.

Müller's rare starts lately had sparked a big debate and rumours he may even leave his boyhood club but he was in Thomas Tuchel's first 11 on Saturday and opened the scoring in the 21st minute into the left corner.

Joshua Kimmich converted a penalty in the 29th, and Serge Gnabry netted a 50th and 66th-minute brace, before teenager Mathys Tel and Noussair Mazraoui wrapped up matters as Bayern ended some weeks of inconsistency with the best game and biggest win of the Tuchel era.

"There is no reason for allout euphoria," Tuchel warned. "It was a good performance, a deserved victory and the next step in the right direction."

The score was the same as in Dortmund's win over Wolfsburg last weekend, and Dortmund were on fire again on Saturday and 4-0 up against Gladbach within 32 minutes en route to an 11th straight home victory.

Donyell Malen's headed in a blocked shot from Sebastien Haller and Jude Bellingham was on target from the spot after Haller was brought down. French striker Haller, who had missed the first part of the season with testicular cancer, then netted a brace, his first goal a stunning back-heeler off Malen's pass.

Ramy Bensebaini got Gladbach on the scoreboard from the spot with 15 minutes left, and Lars Stindl scored a second against a now sloppy Dortmund side before Giovanni Reyna poked the hosts' fifth with the last kick of the game.

"We played really good. I don't know whether we played like champions. Our attitude must be better at the end of the game. We got a scare," Haller told Sky TV.

Malen said: "It was important to win, we know what title race we are in. It was a good win. We played really well as a team."

Dortmund remain hopeful to overhaul Bayern in their final games in Augsburg and against Mainz but that will only happen if the 10-time reigning champions from Munich slip up against either RB Leipzig or in Cologne.

Bayern showed no such signs Saturday for their third straight victory, with Müller impressively underlining his importance and pleased with the outcome.

"We had a good and lively start. I am happy to have opened the scoring, it was a great feeling and the arena exploded," Müller said.

Looking at his own situation, he added: "The debate didn't affect me. The coach decides on the line-up. I have one year on my contract. My heart is with Bayern."

Elsewhere Union Berlin closed in on a first-ever Champions League berth with a 4-2 victory over top-four rivals Freiburg to go third, two points ahead of Leipzig who host Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Eintracht Frankfurt ended a run of 10 games without victory by beating Mainz 3-0 at the end of a turbulent week culminating in the announcement that coach Oliver Glasner will leave in summer. Glasner could not coach the team owing to a red card suspension.

Wolfsburg beat lowly Hoffenheim 2-1 to stay in the race for a European berth, and Bochum left the danger zone by winning 3-2 against fellow strugglers Augsburg.