Bayern Munich put the ball back in Borussia Dortmund's court in a two-horse race at the top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon.
An acrobatic Franck Ribery effort in the 20th minute was enough for Pep Guardiola's men to take maximum points off a side who had held them to a draw earlier this season, and went close to repeating that feat at the Allianz Arena.
It was not one of Bayern's best performances, but they held on for the points, which will also give them confidence for the visit of Benfica to Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Despite their efforts, Frankfurt have to face the fact that they are still inside the bottom two of the Bundesliga, with one game less to play.
Lukas Hradecky thought he had done enough by saving Mario Gotze's shot with his foot, but he could do nothing to keep out Ribery's spectacular acrobatic effort from 15 yards out as the Frenchman scored his first goal of 2016.
Haris Seferovic had enjoyed the best chance before that, with Bayern struggling to impose themselves on the game.
Robert Lewandowski and David Abraham were shown a yellow card each as they confronted each other head-to-head before half-time, with Bayern's frustration at not being able to dominate the game in their usual manner coming to the surface.
Szabolcs Huszti flashed a shot wide of the goal within 15 seconds of the restart, delivering an early warning that Frankfurt were not going to accept defeat without a fight.
Xabi Alonso nearly finished them off moments later, though, with a free-kick which cannoned down off the underside of the crossbar and out with Hradecky beaten.
A mistake by Manuel Neuer was not punished by Frankfurt as Luc Castaignos gifted the ball straight back to the Bayern custodian with a wayward pass, while Alonso was denied again by a fine one-handed Hradecky save at the other end.
Sonny Kittel blazed a shot high and wide as Frankfurt started to play Bayern at their own game, controlling the possession and penning their hosts back inside their own half.
They lacked the creativity to find a way through, though, and Bayern were able to hold on for another win which takes them a step closer to a fourth straight Bundesliga title and keeps them on course for a treble.
They will have to raise their game against Benfica on Tuesday, though, having gone close to dropping points against Frankfurt for the second time this season.