Borussia Dortmund cruised to a routine 2-0 victory against Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday as Karim Adeyemi and Luca Reggiani struck apiece in either half.
With the Fuggerstadter making a recent surge, the BVB were cautious here but still drew the first blood just 13 minutes into the kick-off as Adeyemi converted a defense-splitting pass from Maximilian Beier to hand them the lead.
Niko Kovac's side were firmly in control of the opening stanza, winning a couple of corners and attempting a few chances at Augsburg's goal that kept the visitors on the backfoot as Dortmund led at half-time.
Early into the restart, the Black and Yellows won a corner that Julian Ryerson stood over to take and the Norwegian sent in another clinical delivery for Luca Reggiani to head home from close range for his first league goal.
Dortmund were now in the driver's seat while Augsburg made a slew of changes to inject some momentum into their game but Manuel Baum's side remained second best and succumbed to a facile defeat.
With leaders Bayern Munich drawing 1-1 to Bayer Leverkusen on the day, Dortmund were able to trim the gap to nine points with 58 in 26 games, while Augsburg dropped to 10th with their second consecutive top-flight loss.
Here are the player ratings for Borussia Dortmund:
Gregor Kobel - 7.5: An easy day at work for Kobel, who bagged another clean sheet
Luca Reggiani - 8.5: He's now the youngest Italian to ever score in the Bundesliga, need I say anything more?
Waldemar Anton - 8: Fully in control of the box and never let Augsburg forwards get anywhere close to their goal
Nico Schlotterbeck - 8.5: Dominant in the air, winning all six of his duels, while also playing a crucial role in making ball recoveries
Julian Ryerson - 8.5: The assist-king was back to his usual best; bagged his 15th assist in all competitions
Marcel Sabitzer - 7: Looked deadly in duels and made some key recoveries
Jobe Bellingham - 7.5: Won seven of his 11 ground duels and made three interceptions as Bellingham protected the back-three with aplomb
Felix Nmecha - 7: Demonstrated his excellent passing range but lacked flair going forward
Daniel Svensson - 6: Was eclipsed by better players around him
Karim Adeyemi - 8.5: Put the BVB in front early on with a clinical effort for his ninth goal of the season in all competition; sixth in the Bundesliga
Maximilian Beier - 7.5: An active figure in attack, even set up Adeyemi for the opener with a wonderful pass.
Substitutes
Fabio Silva - 6
Carney Chukwuemeka - 6.5
Yan Couto - 6.5
Julian Brandt - 7
Serhou Guirassy - N/A