Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga after three games with a narrow 2-1 defeat of 10-men FC Koln on Saturday.
Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier struck apiece for the BVB in either half before Jakub Kaminski pulled one back for the Billy Goats late on.
In the added minutes of the opening stanza, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was sent off for the hosts as Dortmund gained a numerical advantage halfway through the match too.
With a 16th win in the bag from 25 games, Niko Kovac's side strengthened their position in second place with 55 points, six more than Hoffenheim. They next play Augsburg at home on 14 March.
Here are the player ratings for Dortmund:
Gregor Kobel - 7.5: The Swiss custodian made four saves in the game for a terrific performance, but couldn't cap it off with a clean sheet
Waldemar Anton - 7.5: Guarded the backline with great aplomb, making six clearances and five recoveries
Nico Schlotterbeck - 8: A gladiator in defende, the German left everything on the field to keep Koln away for the longest time; eight clearances, four aerial duels and 97% passes completed.
Ramy Bensebaini - 7.5: The Algerian showed excellent vision to clear any incoming danger and fought hard for the ball too.
Julian Ryerson - 7: No direct assist for the serial assist-maker but the Norwegian was indeed the architect of Guirassy's goal, sending in a corner that eventually led to their opener.
Marcel Sabitzer - 7: Drove forward at will to lay a couple of crosses for his attacking cohorts while also stringing in passes together.
Felix Nmecha - 7.5: Was more involved defensively, impeding Koln's movements with his vital interventions and making timely recoveries.
Daniel Svensson - 7.5: Dortmund's creator-in-chief of the evening with four key passes as well as three crosses
Maximilian Beier - 9: Set up Guirassy for the opener with a lovely header before turning scorer himself in the second half to consolidate Dortmund's grip on the match.
Julian Brandt - 7.5: A rather quiet game for the playmaker but still gets some brownie points for bagging an assist to Beier's goal.
Serhou Guirassy - 8: The Guinean international fired the BVB in front with a tough finish from close range, ending his three-game goalscoring drought.
Substitutes
Yan Couto - 6
Fabio Silva - 6.5
Niklas Sule - 6.5
Karim Adeyemi - 6
Jobe Bellingham - N/A