After Havard Nordtveit had gave the hosts an early lead, it looked like it could be plain sailing for Gladbach. However, a magnificent second-half allowed Marc Stendera and Alex Meier to turn things around. Takashi Inui's curling strike sealed the win, before Granit Xhaka saw red.
Following defeat to Borussia Dortmund before the international break, Lucien Favre's men would have been keen to get back on track at home to the Eagles. The coach kept faith in the players who had been unbeaten until that stage, but was forced into two changes. Oscar Wendt came in for the injured Martin Stranzl, allowing Alvaro Dominguez to move into centre-half. Christoph Kramer was unavailable through injury, so the returning Granit Xhaka took his place.
As for Eintracht Frankfurt, they too were hoping to write the wrongs of that 0-4 hammering at home to Bayern Munich. Again, like his fellow manager, Thomas Schaaf was all for keeping continuity within his team. Only one alteration was made, as Slobodan Medojevic was ruled out through injury; he was replaced by Japanese creator Takashi Inui.
It took just six minutes for Gladbach to answer any potential doubts, in regard to whether they could bounce back from the Dortmund loss. Havard Nordtveit, who'd played a starring role in mid-week for Norway, struck a deflected shot past the helpless Felix Wiedwald. It was a lovely lay off from Xhaka, but the deflection off of Bastian Oczipka was oh-so cruel. The Swiss midfielder almost had a goal for himself, though Raffael was correctly judged offside in the build-up.
The game was a fantastic advert for the Bundesliga, with both teams placing all their emphasis on attacking. Neither side could force another goal, although the newly-laid pitch seemed to be doing favours for everyone involved. Frankfurt were playing their part, as Alex Meier's powerfully struck costless-kick forcing Yann Sommer into a strong save. The ball seemed to stay un the Gladbach box for an eternity, only for Alvaro Dominguez to eventually clear.
André Hahn, who many had tipped to be in the German national team for the recent run of games, also went close. After some magnificent build-up play from Raffael and Patrick Herrmann, the right-sided player shot wide of the advancing Wiedwald. Chances continued to fall to both sides, but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping managed to keep the score to just 1-0.
Sommer continued his fine form since signing from Basel in the summer, twice denying Haris Seferovic with top class saves. Unfortunately for the home faithful, he was unable to prevent Marc Stendera from notching up his first Bundesliga goal. Following some neat play around the box, Stendera took aim and curled home a 20-yard strike. Sommer was unable to tip it away, as the ball curled just out of his reach.
Gladbach then conceded a second goal within three minutes, as Alex Meier sent the visitors into a lead. A driving run and some excellent build-up play allowed Stendera to slide in Seferovic. His initial shot was stopped by Sommer, but the only player following in was veteran Meier and he tapped into the empty Foals' net. His seventh goal of the season sent the travelling fans wild, with their no let up in the Frankfurt pressure since half-time.
The away attack was relentless and it was a mistake that gave them the goal they craved. Sommer took a quick goal-kick and substitute Sonny Kittel nicked the ball away to Meier. The goal-scorer sent the ball inside to Inui, who then bent a wonderful shot around Dominguez and into the bottom corner. Sommer was left helpless, as the Japanese midfielder doubled the Frankfurt lead.
The vistiors were rarely troubled in the final twenty minutes, even though Xhaka had a goal disallowed. The Swiss midfielder had the red mist descend upon him; after kicking the ball away, he hacked down Kittel for a second yellow card in a minute. A messy performance from Gladbach in the end, who looked a shadow of their former selves.
The win maintains Frankfurt's place in twelfth, just two points from Schalke in sixth place. They take on Borussia Dortmund next weekend and after they let slip a 2-0 lead against Paderborn, Schaaf will be confident of taking points from the Westphalians. As for Gladbach, they remain in third place despite the loss. A trip to Villarreal awaits in mid-week, a win would seal top spot in their Europa League group. It would be the perfect remedy for consecutive defeats, rest assured Favre will have his side chomping at the bit to set the record straight.