For the second time this week, Werder Bremen secured a vital 4-1 win to help ease relegation fears.
Hannover 96 and their legendary coach Thomas Schaaf stood in their way, but Fin Bartels' early opener suggested the game would only go one way.
Claudio Pizarro continued his scoring streak, but Kenan Karaman gave hope to Hannover.
That was dashed after the break as Theodore Gebre Selassie and Zlatko Junuzovic ensured the three points would remain at the Weserstadion.
Bremen ahead at the break
Bremen began brightly and could have gone 1-0 up had Levin Öztunali's finish matched the build-up and his initial touch to beat Oliver Sorg. Papy Djilobodji also went close with a headed effort from Junuzovic's free-kick, but the signs were there that the hosts meant business.
Their opening goal resembled a team at full confidence playing at the top of the table rather than the bottom. Santiago Garcia started the move, playing the ball into Junuzovic's feed before he fed Pizarro. The Peruvian managed to flick round the corner to Garcia, who squared to Bartels for a simple tap in.
Pizarro would soon be celebrating a goal of his own, when he struck a stunning half volley to make it 2-0. Öztunali crossed for the veteran forward as he controlled and flicked the ball over two defenders. Hannover's back-line decided to stand off Pizarro, as he thundered a shot past the helpless Ron-Robert Zieler.
Jannik Vestergaard then had a chance to extend Werder's lead, but saw his header drift just over the bar with Zieler beaten. Instead it would be Hannover who managed to get back in the game before the break, as Hiroshi Kiyotake's corner was flicked to the back post and Karaman comfortably tapped in to restore some hope.
Werder seal the win
Karaman had a great chance to level after the break following a lovely passing move, though his shot flew comfortably over the bar from the edge of the area. Hannover were made to pay for that miss almost instantly, as Werder went further ahead. Pizarro played in Gebre Selassie, and he shot high and hard across goal to find the top corner.
Like the last two goals, scorer turned to provider once more. Gebre Selassie touched the ball down for Junuzovic on the edge of the area and the Austrian struck a volley that lacked power but had plenty of precision. Zieler got a hand to the shot but the skidding surface helped seal Werder's fourth goal of the game.
The hosts had chances to add to their lead but the main concerns came in the shape of suspensions. Both Clemens Fritz and Junuzovic will miss the next game after accumulating too many yellows, though they will be much more confident after their last two displays. Hannover, however, need a miracle to stay up.