Stuttgart beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home on Saturday to go top on 20 points, while Wolfsburg remain on 18. Mainz are a surprise third on 15 after beating champions Werder Bremen 2-1 on Saturday when Bayern Munich, now fourth, lost 1-0 at home to Schalke 04.

Hanover midfielder Silvio Schroeter struck once in each half and Daniel Stendel capped the scoring in stoppage time for the hosts, who brought Wolfburg's six-match winning streak and four-week surprise run at the top to an abrupt end.

Despite being outplayed by an aggressive Wolfsburg for much of the match, Hanover claimed their third win in four matches and climbed to eighth.

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"I never dreamt of having a match like this against Wolfsburg," said Schroeter, who has been a substitute midfielder for Hanover much of the season. "I hope someone made a video tape of it for me."

Hanover's goalkeeper Robert Enke made a number of good saves, including one with a foot on a shot by Germany striker Thomas Brdaric in the 21st minute and another 15 minutes later on a dangerous header from Wolfburg's Diego Klimowicz.

In Sunday's other match, Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Kaiserslautern 2-0.