Plea spot-kick enough for Gladbach against Hertha

Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Plea (pen. 34')
Red cards: Uremovic (68')

Dodi Lukebakio and Chidera Ejuke fired off warning shots in a furious opening to proceedings. Plea then struck the upright following a mazy run as Gladbach returned fire for the first time. Oliver Christensen pulled off a stunning reflex save to deny Marcus Thuram from a corner, before Yann Sommer made a couple of quick-fire stops for the cameras from Ejuke and Lukebakio. Plea broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after Maximilian Mittelstädt was adjudged to have handled a Hofmann cross. Christensen was almost beaten again on the stroke of half-time after completely misjudging a Hofmann free-kick that dropped just wide.

Ko Itakura made a crucial intervention to deny Wilfried Kanga a clear sight of Sommer's goal as Hertha continued to cause problems for the Gladbach defence. The Foals gave as good as they got, though, with the linesman's flag denying Hofmann after a sensational piece of control and lobbed finish. Hofmann was thwarted again moments later, the Germany international's penalty-kick pushed away by Christensen after Uremovic had been sent off for a second bookable offence, this one for handball. Christensen stood up to Thuram in a promising one-on-one, before substitute Kevin-Prince Boateng went within a whisker of rescuing Hertha a last-gasp draw.

• Plea has scored four goals in eight meetings with Hertha, and has coverted his last four penalty kicks in the Bundesliga.
• Hofmann has missed two of his seven Bundesliga spot-kicks.
• Christensen faced his first two Bundesliga penalties.
• Gladbach took the lead in a Bundesliga match for the first time this season.
• Boateng made his 149th Bundesliga appearance.
• Hertha have lost eight of their last 10 Bundesliga games in Mönchengladbach (W1, D1).

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Watch: Daniel Farke "very happy" with Gladbach's unbeaten start

Gladbach: Sommer (c) - Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Bensebaini – Kone, Kramer, Neuhaus (Friedrich 90'+6) – Hofmann (Wolf 90'+1), Thuram, Plea (Herrmann 90'+4)
Unused subs: Sippel, Stindl, Lainer, Netz, Jantschke, Sanches
Out: Müsel (knee)
Coach: Daniel Farke

Hertha: Christensen - Kenny, Uremovic, Kempf, Mittelstädt - Tousart (c) (Boateng 83'), Sunjic (Boetius 57'), Serdar (Selke 83') - Lukebakio, Kanga (Jovetic 72'), Ejuke (Dardai 72')
Unused subs: Ernst, Pekarik, Darida, Richter
Out: Dong-jun Lee (knee), Gechter (flu), Jarstein (disciplinary), Maolida (muscular), Ngankam (knee), Nsona (cruciate ligament), Plattenhardt (muscular), Scherhant (muscular)
Coach: Sandro Schwarz