Marco Reus secured Borussia Dortmund a potentially vital 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park this afternoon, taking some pressure off manager Edin Terzic.
The coach made four changes to the side that lost 2-0 to PSG in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
They didn't quite prove the difference, as second-half substitutions were required to break the visitors' resistance in the 68th minute.
Wolfsburg struggled to have any real impact on the game and the result extends their poor record at Signal Iduna Park to eleven years without a win.
Niko Kovač also remains without a win at Dortmund's home after five attempts.
The result means that Dortmund move up to fifth in the Bundesliga while Wolfsburg drop to seventh.
Story of the Match
Edin Terzic sprung a surprise by leaving top scorer Donyell Malen on the bench in favour of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to partner Julian Brandt and debutant Niclas Füllkrug in attack.
The change looked to be effective in the early stages, as any attack from Dortmund came through the English winger.
He won a free-kick in the fifth minute. Reus' effort drew a save from Koen Casteels.
Wolfsburg began to grow into the game after ten minutes. Joakim Mæhle's wayward cross forced Gregor Kobel to tip the ball over the bar.
The midway passage of the first half was quiet in terms of chances. Václav Černý earning his way into the book after 24 minutes, the only real action of note.
That was until the 37th minute when the visitors broke on the counterattack.
Jonas Wind ran beyond BVB's backline and slid Tiago Tomás in to shoot. But Kobel was equal to it.
Dortmund failed to threaten in the final third during the first half and were lucky not to be behind going into the break.
Eventual Breakthrough
The second half began with more of the same. BVB had plenty of the ball but couldn't do anything with it.
The hosts did shout for a penalty early on as Bynoe-Gittens looked to have been brought down in the box. The referee said no, and replays showed there was no contact.
Unlike in the first half, Wolfsburg struggled to fashion chances. Every time the visitors attempted to break away, they were stopped by Dortmund's defence.
The game hadn't changed by the hour mark, but the visitors were reduced to attempts from range. Salih Özcan and Felix Nmecha both fired wide of the goal.
Terzic turned to his bench, bringing on Malen for Bynoe-Gittens on 65 minutes. It made the difference.
Brandt switched to the left-hand side and immediately found enough space to force Casteels into a save from six yards out.
The goalkeeper didn't have the same success minutes later as Brandt was released down the left. This time, he squared the ball to the penalty spot for Reus to sweep home and give BVB the lead.
Wolfsburg weathered the storm as Dortmund threatened to double their lead and eventually had their opportunity. Wind put a good chance just wide in the 76th minute.
Defensive changes from the hosts encouraged pressure from Die Wölfe, but they never looked like breaking through.
Any nerves the home fans may have had were evaporated when the referee blew the full-time whistle to give BVB a valuable victory.
Key Player
Marco Reus
The former captain made the difference for his side today, getting on the end of Julian Brandt's inviting cross.
There wasn't much to shout about from either side today, but for Dortmund to have someone of Reus' experience made the difference.
BVB will hope that Reus can continue to deliver for them throughout the season.
What's Next?
Borussia Dortmund travel to TSG Hoffenheim on Friday evening for their next Bundesliga fixture.
While VfL Wolfsburg welcome Eintracht Frankfurt next Saturday.
