As the team with the worst away record challenged Bayern Munich's 100 per cent home record on Sunday afternoon, the inevitable occurred, with the German champions downing TSG 1899 Hoffenheim by a 2-0 scoreline.
There were still a few surprises in the game though, with the first being how long it took Bayern to break the deadlock - the clock reading 32 minutes when Robert Lewandowski poked home Douglas Costa's cross.
The second was how long it then took the hosts to add to their lead. However, there were no prizes for guessing the scorer, with Lewandowski again on target just past the hour after the two teams had exchanged good chances at the start of the second period.
The third and final shock of the day was the winning margin. Bayern had numerous chances, with Arturo Vidal hitting the post as he searched for his side's third goal, but Hoffenheim did pose a couple of problems and could have got something from the game had they been more clinical.
Early frustrations
From the off, it was abundantly clear why these two occupy polar opposite positions in the table. Bayern, unsurprisingly, dominated possession, whilst the majority of touches that Hoffenheim got were either as they cleared the ball or as goalkeeper Oliver Baumann collected it.
One could not say it wasn't for lack of trying either. Despite their desperate situation, there was a real lack of urgency from Hoffenheim to win the ball back or fight for it. With minimal pressure on the hosts, they were afforded all the time and space to do as they pleased, with Arjen Robben inches away from opening the scoring on seven minutes as he cut inside onto his left foot.
However, though they were dominating, Bayern were struggling to carve out opportunities - instead relying on efforts from range as their crosses into the box were frequently cut out. One did manage to squeeze through to Thomas Müller just before the 20 minute mark, but the ball was behind him and so his strike ended up being right at the 'keeper. This was one of two efforts in quick succession from the German, with Baumann called into action two minutes later as he made a good save with his legs to keep the scores goalless.
Lewandowski was the next to be denied, but it was Robben who should have opened the scoring not long after. Having danced through the box, evading several challenges, the Dutchman just needed to apply the finish, but fired wildly over the bar under pressure from Jiloan Hamad.
If at first you don't succeed...
The deadlock, however, was finally broken in the 32nd minute as Lewandowski prodded in from close range. Kingsley Coman started the attack, bursting down the left with great pace and, when the initial break didn't come off, Bayern rebuilt to great effect.
The ball went out to Costa on the left this time, with him running at his marker and beating him after a trademark step-over, creating the space for a low drilled cross to be delivered and converted by his clinical Polish teammate.
Andrej Kramarić, making his full debut after signing on loan from Leicester City, could have and probably should have equalised just before half time, but the uninvolved Manuel Neuer was equal to the effort at his near post and so Bayern were able to go in at the break narrowly ahead.
Breathing space
With nothing left to protect, one was looking for Hoffenheim to come out a little bit more in the second period - with them having shown signs of doing so towards the end of the first half through Kramarić's chance.
However, instead, it was Bayern peppering the visiting goal from kick-off - Xabi Alonso's strike tipped over the bar and Lewandowski's header from the resulting corner saved again by Baumann inside the first two minutes.
There was no response from the away side either, with the hosts resuming their dominance of the game as Lewandowski somehow missed a gaping goal from two yards in an attempt to convert Holger Badstuber's off target header.
Despite all these chances, the fact remained that Hoffenheim were still well in the game and therefore well in with a chance of getting a result. Another chance for Kramarič emphasised this, the striker putting Joshua Kimmich on his backside cleverly but dragging his shot just wide of the far post.
Bayern should have punished his lack of accuracy moments later - Philipp Lahm's pass, Müller's cross and Lewandowski's finish almost perfect, only for the latter to fall just wide of the goal. Eduardo Vargas, at the other end, then had another opportunity for the visitors from a corner, but directed his header inches over Neuer's crossbar.
Lewandowski would be on hand to punish this miss though, adding to his and his team's tally four minutes after the hour - his little dinked finish a lovely way for Bayern to hit 50 Bundesliga goals for the season.
Comfortable in cruise control
After the second goal had gone in, the champions could relax - and they did exactly this.
With his team calmly knocking the ball around as they sat out the closing stages, Arturo Vidal came off the bench looking to make it three for the day, only for his driven strike from the edge of the box to cannon off the foot of the post.
David Alaba wasn't far away from making the back of the net bulge moments later, but he couldn't hit the target either, whilst Lewandowski's glancing header lacked the sufficient direction for him to bag a hat-trick - landing right in the grateful arms of Baumann.
Nonetheless, the 500th match at the Allianz Arena ended in another three points being picked up for the hosts, with them extending their lead at the top to eight points - whilst Hoffenheim remain seven points from safety.