Leaders Bayern thump Hoffenheim 5-0 to go four points clear at top

MUNICH : Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich scored three times in 19 minutes in the first half to crush Hoffenheim 5-0 on Wednesday and restore their four-point advantage at the top of the standings.

The Bavarians did not need long to open their account with Leroy Sane drilling in for the lead from a Thomas Mueller assist in the seventh minute.

Raphael Guerreiro doubled it after a one-two with Harry Kane five minutes later and they killed off the game with a 26th minute penalty by the league's top scorer, Kane, who bagged his 16th goal in the competition.

The Bavarians picked up where they left off after the break with Sane scoring the second goal of the match three minutes after the restart before substitute Serge Gnabry tapped in their fifth in the 66th.

The league leaders are on 42 points, four ahead of champions Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Mainz 05 1-0 on Tuesday.