Renato Augusto's late goal gave Bayer Leverkusen a 1-0 win at Mainz on Sunday that closes the gap at the top of the Bundesliga standings to nine points.
The Brazilian midfielder robbed Mainz defender Bo Svensson of possession before unleashing an unstoppable effort past goalkeeper Christian Wetklo into the top left corner in the 82nd minute.
Leverkusen defender Daniel Schwaab struck the post, and Mainz striker Andre Schuerrle - who will join Leverkusen at the end of the season - created numerous scoring chances for the home side.
With eight games left to play, Leverkusen remains second on 52 points behind leader Borussia Dortmund. Mainz slips to fifth, two points behind Bayern Munich.
In the evening game, Sven Schipplock scored a late winner for Stuttgart at St. Pauli in a come-from-behind 2-1 win that moves his side out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Schipplock scored five minutes after coming on as a substitute, when his low shot inside the far post gave goalkeeper Thomas Kessler no chance in the 88th.
Fabian Boll had given St. Pauli the lead in the 19th when he beat the offside trap and controlled Fin Bartels' long ball with his chest before slipping it past Sven Ulreich.
Tamas Hajnal then squared a free kick for Zdravko Kuzmanovic, and the Serbian let fly from 30 meters (yards) to pull Stuttgart level in the 24th.
St. Pauli captain Gerald Asamoah thought he'd scored minutes later when his volley crashed off the crossbar onto the line, but the linesman ruled the ball did not cross.
The home side pushed hard for the winner, but it was Schipplock who scored against the run of play to leave St. Pauli in the relegation playoff place after four defeats in a row.
St. Pauli and Stuttgart are among four teams on 28 points.
There was a minute's silence for victims of the earthquake in Japan prior to kick off in Mainz, where the home side started strongly.
Andreas Ivanschitz fired a free kick from 30 meters narrowly over in the 25th.
Schuerrle eluded Stefan Reinartz shortly afterward, before his effort from a narrow angle was blocked by Rene Adler with the help of three defenders.
The 20-year-old went close again in the 34th after surging through midfield when his long-range effort was just over.
Schwaab hit the post a minute later, when his effort surprised Wetklo, and he nearly scored an own goal after that, when Adler had to react smartly to block his deflection from Marcel Risse's shot.
Wetklo pulled off a great save to deny Lars Bender's header from a free kick before the interval, as Leverkusen came more into the game.
Arturo Vidal should have scored for the visitors in the 64th, when he was unmarked in front of goal but blasted wide, and Stefan Kiessling fired straight at Wetklo shortly afterward.
Schuerrle found space was unable to keep his effort down in the 69th, and Leverkusen created all the chances thereafter.
Svensson failed to notice Augusto lurking behind him, and the Brazilian fully capitalized with his decisive goal.
