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Undefeated Bayern Munich stumbled to a 0-0 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday that ended a four-game winning streak in the league but they remain four points clear at the top.
Dortmund's miserable season continues; slump to 4th Bundesliga defeat
Pep Guardiola's team lacked the sharpness up front that they showed in the 7-1 demolition of AS Roma in the Champions League in midweek but the point gained puts the leaders on 21 points ahead of surprise package Gladbach in second.
Bayern may not have hit top form but they still kept a clean sheet in a seventh straight league game for the first time since 2011.
"In the first half we controlled the game but we were a bit tired in the second half," Guardiola told reporters. "That's where we lost some of our discipline. But I am satisfied with our performance and the one point."
Gladbach have now gone 14 games without defeat in all competitions this season.
Bayern had in-form winger Arjen Robben out injured and Franck Ribery on the bench but still looked dangerous and got their first clear chance after 10 minutes when David Alaba's curled shot was palmed onto the post by Yann Sommer.
The visiting Bavarians were in control in the first half but the home side had striker Robert Lewandowski under constant guard leaving last season's top scorer little space to move.
Gladbach forwards Max Kruse and Andre Hahn were denied by keeper Manuel Neuer as the hosts improved in the second half to confirm their status among the toughest teams to beat this term.
Neuer had to came to the rescue twice more, showing superb reflexes to tip Raffael's free kick wide at full stretch in the 67th and stopping the Brazilian's low drive 10 minutes later.
"If they did not have Neuer today Bayern would have to swallow one or two goals," Gladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer told reporters.
"We made it really hard for a very tough team and after nine games the table cannot lie. We are the second best team in Germany."
In stoppage time it was Sommer's turn to protect a point when he kept out a charging Claudio Pizarro from point-blank range.
VfL Wolfsburg ended Mainz 05's unbeaten start to the season with a 3-0 victory, their fourth straight win which moved them up to third place level on points with Gladbach.
Defender Naldo rose high to head in a Marcel Schaefer cross for his third goal of the season in the first half.
Croatian Ivan Perisic then slotted in on the hour after Naldo headed the ball on before Daniel Caligiuri's 87th minute goal sealed their win to lift the 2009 Bundesliga champions to 17 points from nine games.
Mainz, who suffered their first league defeat in their ninth game, are sixth on 14.
On Saturday, last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund lost 1-0 at home to Hanover 96 for their fourth straight defeat as they dropped to 15th on seven points.
