Ghosts of 2023 quelled after Dortmund return to the Bundesliga summit | Andy Brassell

Borussia Dortmund would probably rather not think about the last time that they topped the Bundesliga. It was in May 2023, just before all their dreams imploded, with black and yellow Deutscher Meister t-shirts – ‘German champions’ – for sale on the approach to Signal Iduna Park and cold beers at the ready. Now, that is no longer the most recent time Dortmund have led the pack.

This is the fourth game of the season, and Dortmund have won all four. Niko Kovac’s training plan is working well. Saturday night’s 1-0 win at Stuttgart felt like a big, important match, even if it wasn’t the most entertaining game to watch. Kovac’s influence was clear throughout. People will keep debating whether his style of play matches Borussia Dortmund’s attacking reputation. But this match showed just how much Kovac has helped the club and the team.

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Last season, Dortmund got four points from the two games against Sebastian Hoeness and his Stuttgart team. Kovac knows people criticize his team's style of play. In the same way, Hoeness knows people are talking about his team's record against direct rivals, which has been getting worse. Still, Dortmund's performance was not outstanding either. It was a big improvement from the 2024-25 games against Stuttgart. In those games, Dortmund lost twice. One loss came during Nuri Sahin's short time as coach. The other loss came in Kovac's first game in charge. At that point, Kovac must have realized how difficult his job would be.

This match, played in September 2026, showed clearly how much Dortmund have improved under the former Croatia midfielder. It also showed how deeply his ideas have taken hold at the club. A patient, calm, and defensively strong Dortmund team is still something new to see. They did not have a single shot on target until Maximilian Beier scored the winning goal. He scored from a good pass by substitute Jobe Bellingham. Dortmund handled everything the home team threw at them. They did this smartly and without much trouble. They made a very good attacking team look ordinary. Stuttgart's Hoeness said afterward, "In a top match, decent and okay aren't enough."

It was also worth noting that Bellingham and Beier combined for the goal. Bellingham is often criticized for not being as good as his very talented older brother. Beier is another player who does not get enough credit. Both were signed for large fees, so people expected a lot from them right away and had little patience. Their ability to adapt stood out: Bellingham made an impact after coming on as a substitute, and Beier did well in a more attacking role. Both players fit what Kovac looks for: young, hard-working, athletic and adaptable.

Should we call Dortmund contenders? That is, perhaps, a bit strong. But there is talk is about reducing the 16-point gap to Bayern that remained at the end of last season, and there were signs here that they may, at least, be capable of that. “It’s about annoying Bayern a bit”, is how Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken framed it, following the win at Stuttgart.

Dortmund were never going to become important and consistent again by trying to relive the Jürgen Klopp years, or by trying to copy Bayern. Both of these approaches have already been tried. Getting back to the situation they were in in 2023, with its pain and its possible rewards, will take time. It does not depend on Dortmund alone. Bayern will also need to drop a level or two. Still, Dortmund are at least climbing the right ladder, slowly, steadily, and carefully.

Bayern Munich 7-0 Union Berlin, Stuttgart 0-1 Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen 3-2 Augsburg, Hamburg 2-1 Köln, Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Freiburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-4 Mainz, Paderborn 3-1 Hoffenheim, Schalke 0-0 Elversberg, Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 RB Leipzig

Talking points: Harry Kane scored his 100th Bundesliga goal on Friday night, in just his 98th game. This is much faster than any player has ever done it in the league's history. It was likely to happen soon, especially against a struggling Union Berlin team, who are having a very poor start to the season. Kane scored twice, but his goals were almost a small detail on a night when Michael Olise scored a brilliant hat-trick. Jamal Musiala and Ismaël Saibari also scored their first league goals of the season. The final score was 7-0. It was a strong start to the club's usual Oktoberfest weekend celebrations.

• Bayern later mourned Peter Hermann, Jupp Heynckes’ popular assistant in the 2013 treble-winning season, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 73. Hermann was also emotionally commemorated at Leverkusen before kick-off on Sunday, having played in their 1979 promotion-winning team and having later served as assistant to Klaus Toppmöller at the helm of the celebrated 2002 Champions League finalists. Die Werkself paid fitting tribute on the field too as they beat RB Leipzig 2-0. The margins were fine, with Christopher Nkunku having an opener ruled out for the visitors before Patrik Schick put the home side ahead from a Miguel Gutiérrez cross. Gutiérrez, Álex Grimaldo’s nominal replacement, scored the second himself. Carles Martínez praised his team for “good balance between keeping the ball and playing forward”, while his opposite number Martín Demichelis has plenty to think about after a fourth straight away defeat.

• Never before had a team scored three times in successive Bundesliga home games and lost both of them but Borussia Mönchengladbach are managing to find a ledge beneath the edge. Gladbach made a bright start against Mainz (who are under interim coach Jan-Moritz Lichte) – with Florian Neuhaus scoring the opener on his return to the line-up, his first since May 2024 – but ended in defeat again, leaving them bottom, without a point. Alexander Blessin, a former St Pauli coach famed for his defensive work, is expected to arrive in an attempt to plug the leaks.

Hamburg started matchday four with no points and no goals. Still, they narrowly beat a Köln team that had controlled most of the game. Yussuf Poulsen scored the winning goal, his second for the club since he joined in summer 2025. The win showed strong support for head coach Merlin Polzin, who signed a new contract this week even after a poor start to the season and two 5-0 losses in a row.

• There are comebacks and there are comebacks, and several coincided on the Weser as Werder Bremen continued their surprisingly good start to the season. They trailed 2-0 to Wolfsburg but were level after a Niclas Füllkrug netbuster but even better was around the corner, with Mitchell Weiser rattling in a perfect left-foot winner, deep into stoppage time, in his first home appearance after 16 months out with injury. It brought the former Bayern man to tears and his coach Daniel Thoune described it as “a goosebump moment”.

• All three promoted teams now have a win after Paderborn’s shock victory over Hoffenheim in Sunday’s late game, with veteran substitute Steffen Tigges sealing it with a header for his first top-flight goal since 2024. It was a third loss in four for Hoffenheim, who also suffered an embarrassing Europa League reverse at OFI Crete on Thursday.

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Borussia Dortmund 4 7 12 2 Bayern Munich 4 12 10 3 Freiburg 4 9 10 4 Augsburg 4 5 7 5 Bayer Leverkusen 4 5 7 6 Mainz 4 4 7 7 Elversberg 4 1 7 8 Werder Bremen 4 0 7 9 RB Leipzig 4 4 6 10 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 -1 5 11 Schalke 04 4 -1 5 12 Paderborn 4 -2 4 13 Cologne 4 -3 4 14 Hoffenheim 4 -3 3 15 Stuttgart 4 -3 3 16 Hamburg 4 -11 3 17 Union Berlin 4 -13 1 18 Borussia M'gladbach 4 -10 0