Hummels brace ends Bielefeld curse

Arminia Bielefeld 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Hummels (53'), 0-2 Hummels (71')

Dortmund have endured a terrible record at the SchücoArena in the past, with just two wins from their 17 visits in the Bundesliga. Lucien Favre's side went about re-writing the record in their return to Bielefeld the right way in the first half. Jude Bellingham and Thomas Delaney had early testers saved by Stefan Ortega. Jadon Sancho had the first big chance of the game, heading at goal from Hummels' sublime outside-of-the-foot pass, only to find Ortega between the Bielefeld posts. Marcel Hartel had the hosts' only shot on target in the first half as Dortmund controlled a one-way 45 minutes. One week after scoring just his second Bundesliga goal, Manuel Akanji had the perfect chance to make it two in two just before the break but couldn't get his back-post effort on target from Bellingham's cross.

Dortmund kept the pressure on at the start of the second half and it finally told eight minutes after the break. In the absence of Erling Haaland, it was another 'H' who stepped up to do the scoring with Hummels tapping home from Sancho's corner to score Dortmund's third goal of the campaign from such dead-ball situations. Bielefeld coach Uwe Neuhaus made a triple substitution after the hour mark in an attempt to spring his side back into the game but it failed to make a difference. The score was almost doubled when Mike van der Hoorn blocked Delaney's cross onto his own post, but Hummels was the man to put the game to bed with 20 minutes to play, heading home from Marco Reus' pin-point cross. Julian Brandt had the chance to make it three from Axel Witsel's through-ball but found Ortega in his way once again.

• Hummels has now scored in consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time since 2011.
• It was the second brace of Hummels' Bundesliga career, his other coming for Dortmund against Cologne way back in 2010.
• Bielefeld coach Neuhaus was at Dortmund for almost seven years, as assistant first-team coach between 1998 and 2004, and as head coach of the reserves in 2004/05.
• Dortmund captain Marco Reus has scored against 17 of the 18 current Bundesliga teams – except Bielefeld. He hadn't played against them before today, though.
• Reus provided an assist for the first time this season.
• With just two goals conceded and five clean sheets, including four on the bounce, Dortmund statistically have the best defence in the Bundesliga at present.
• This was the teams' first meeting since 16 May 2009, in Bielefeld's last spell in the top flight. Dortmund won 6-0 that day.

Watch: Julian Brandt - "I don't think Mats will be a regular scorer"

Bielefeld: Ortega - Brunner (Behrendt 65'), Pieper, Nilsson, Van der Hoorn (Yabo 83'), Lucoqui  Doan (Edmundsson 64'), Prietl, Hartel - Klos (c), Schipplock (Cordova 65')
Unused subs: Rehnen, Laursen, Kunze, Seufert, Maier
Out: Voglsammer (foot)
Coach: Uwe Neuhaus

Dortmund: Bürki - Meunier, Akanji, Hummels (Piszczek 86'), Passlack - Bellingham, Delaney (Witsel 82') - Sancho (Reyna 75'), Reus (c) (Guerreiro 75'), Brandt, Hazard (Reinier 82')
Unused subs: Hitz, Morey, Dahoud
Out: Can (not included), Haaland (knee), Schmelzer (knee), Schulz (match fitness), Zagadou (knee)
Coach: Lucien Favre