Bayern Munich blow two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Gladbach
By Tom Gott
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich lost their first game since September on Friday as they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Hansi Flick's men were stunned by Hoffenheim four months ago as Andrej Kramaric's double inspired the underdogs to a shocking 4-1 win, but Bayern made up for that defeat by embarking on a 20-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
It looked like Bayern were going to make it 21 when Florian Neuhaus' handball was spotted and punished with a penalty, from which Robert Lewandowski made no mistake. Europe's top marksman now sits on 20 goals from just 14 games.
The good times kept on flowing as Bayern made it two in the 26th minute through Leon Goretzka, whose finished off an excellent one-two with the fantastic Leroy Sane with a rifled strike from long range to ease the pressure on Bayern's shoulders.
However, it might have done too good of a job of that as Flick's side were soon punished for taking their foot off the gas pedal. Jonas Hofmann got the comeback underway shortly after the half-hour mark, firing home to ensure Bayern's run without a clean sheet extends to ten Bundesliga games.
Gladbach pick Bayern's pockets and set Hofmann off to slot home his second of the night! ⚡️
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 8, 2021
It's ruled offside, but VAR overturns the decision. ?♂️
Game on! ? pic.twitter.com/SkMoZOrTYy
Hofmann snatched another on the stroke of half-time, and it was Gladbach who were frustrated to see the referee blow his whistle for the interval as they could sense Bayern had been rattled.
Whatever Flick said during the break, it obviously didn't work as Gladbach were ahead after just four minutes.
Niklas Sule's tame pass was intercepted by Hofmann, whose lay-off allowed Neuhaus to atone for his earlier error with a glorious strike which nestled into the top-right corner of Manuel Neuer's goal.
The defeat continues a worrying trend for Flick's side, who have now fallen behind in their last nine Bundesliga games. While they've only gone on to drop points in three of those, it's obviously something which the boss will be keen to fix.
Bayern remain top of the Bundesliga on 33 points, two points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig. Julian Nagelsmann's side could jump up to the top spot with a victory over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.