Borussia Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken felt the win over Eintracht Frankfurt is going to boost the side's confidence ahead of some tough fixtures.
The BVB returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on Saturday as substitute Maximilian Beier scored a fabulous long-range strike in the 80th minute.
It was their first league win from three games as Dortmund had previously drawn 2-2 with Werder Bremen before being held goalless by Union Berlin.
"This win wasn’t a given. We’ve been on the road a lot since the end of August. We kept turning up the pressure and eventually had Eintracht where we wanted them."said Ricken after the match
Dortmund came flying out of the blocks, driving forward to build encouraging momentum early on. Serhiou Guirassy set up Fabio Silva for a great chance before seeing two of his own shots saved in a space of two minutes around the first quarter.
At the other end, Jonathan Burkardt fired narrowly wide while Younes Ebnoutalib prompted a strong reaction from BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. But that didn't disrupt the home side's rhythm, continuing to push for the opening goal.
Daniel Svensson headed against the crossbar whereas Felix Nmecha had a shot saved at the corner in the closing stages of the first half. However, it wasn't until Kovac made a few substitutions that Dortmund finally had their breakthrough.
Just 15 seconds after coming on to the pitch, Jobe Bellingham combined brilliantly with Beier on the left, before driving forward into acres of space. He then squared the ball back to Beier, who then thumped home an unstoppable volley for 1-0.
"It’s great to know that two players who came off the bench decided the game for us. "added Ricken
The win was Dortmund's first in the league this month and a fifth overall from seven games this season, taking beyond arch-rivals Bayern Munich into first position albeit only temporarily until the holders play Freiburg tonight.
Ricken felt that it could massively boost their confidence.
"Of course, it’s also good for our confidence when we not only feel like we were the better team but also walk away with three points."
After going three consecutive games without a win, Dortmund have now won their next two and restored some of the momentum that had deflated. It will be vital in their next two, vital clashes: the German Cup clash against Werder Bremen and the Der Klassiker against Bayern.
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