Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on Saturday after beating Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 at the Signal Iduna Park.
Maximilian Beier was the hero for BVB as the player came off the bench to score a wonderful curled effort into the far corner with only 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
It was turning out to be another frustrating game for Niko Kovac's side, who created a handful of chances but couldn't put them away with Frankfurt custodian Noah Atubolu making talismanic saves.
Die Borussen's persistence paid off late on, winning their fifth match from the opening seven league games of the season to remain on the coattails of leaders Bayern Munich.
Here are three things which they got right despite the narrow victory:
1) Substitutions
This one's a no-brainer. Finding late goals through substitutes has become one of Dortmund's biggest strengths right now.
For the umpteenth time under Niko Kovac, the BVB subs stepped up the plate to make a difference as Jobe Bellingham and Maximilian Beier both came off the bench to construct the winning goal.
The players combined superbly on the left while Bellingham skillfully evaded his marker to set Beier up for the shot, which the German dispatched clinically.
This season alone, Dortmund's substitutes have scored four goals and assisted seven in the Bundesliga so far, a testament to the side's ability to change the match late on.
2) Remaining patient after missed chances
Dortmund could have decisively ended the tie as a contest in the first half had they put away their chances. Fabio Silva blazed a shot over while Serhou Guirassy missed a one-on-one; Daniel Svensson's effort deflected away to bounce off the crossbar while Felix Nmecha was denied from close-range.
But the home side didn't let the frustrations get the better of them. They kept biding their time by contuinuing to go forward and looking to build attacking plays. It's a useful trait in games like these where the side isn't able to convert their chances.
3) Remaining disciplined after going in front
This is something that Dortmund have often struggled to do, seen recently in their late collapse against Werder Bremen on 9 October. But on Saturday, the BVB remained organized in defense to protect their hard-found lead.
Frankfurt pushed for a late equalizer, but weren't able to conver those passes and territory into meaningful opportunities. Their only real chance was when Lilian Bressier looped in a cross from the left but Gregor Kobel jumped to collect it before any Frankfurt player could head it home.
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