Cologne (Germany) (AFP)

Imperial in Cologne (4-1), Bayern Munich retained the head of the Bundesliga on Sunday with a point ahead of Leipzig, after a 22nd day which saw the four leading teams win widely.

Kingsley Coman, injured in the left knee at the start of December, scored for Munich when he returned as a right winger in the eleven. His friend Serge Gnabry scored twice, and Robert Lewandowski consolidated his first place in the scorers' classification with his 23rd accomplishment of the season.

In the classification, the Bavarians lead with 46 points in front of Leipzig (45 pts). Dortmund and Mönchengladbach are 42 points away, but Mönchengladbach have one game to play against Cologne on March 11.

After six months of competition, a "Big Four" is emerging in the Bundesliga: Munich, Leipzig, Dortmund and Mönchengladbach, against weaker opponents, scored this weekend 15 goals, and conceded only two.

Leipzig swept the relegated Bremen 3-0, Dortmund outperformed Frankfurt 4-0, and Mönchengladbach went on to win the Rhine derby 4-1 in Düsseldorf.

- Three goals in 12 minutes -

Bayern struggled and conceded a 0-0 draw at Leipzig on Sunday. But ten days before his knockout round of the Champions League against Chelsea, the "Rekordmeister" demonstrated Sunday that, when its wheels are well oiled, it simply evolves into another dimension.

Cologne learned the hard way, conceding three goals in the first 12 minutes!

We had been playing for 150 seconds when Robert Lewandowski was responsible for reminding the young defenders of Cologne that he should not be left any space. Launched by Müller at the corner of the surface, the Pole fired an unstoppable shot in an opposite skylight.

Three minutes later, Kingsley Coman, served at the penalty spot, again by Müller, doubled the bet (2-0, 5th).

And in the 12th minute, Gnabry killed the match by scoring his first goal. After a corner, he kicked the surface to open the space and plant a 15-meter shot in the right corner of the goal of the unfortunate Timo Horn.

"We weren't expecting to enter the match so well," admitted Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, "but we used our first chances coolly."

At 3-0, the Bavarians did not even slow down. They just turned out to be less surgical: Gnabry hit the bar, Kimmich the post, Thiago and Müller twice did not score goal balls.

The second period was more balanced, and Neuer had to save his goal three times, each in one against one against Mark Uth (62nd), Jhon Cordoba (78th) and Anthony Modeste (89th).

Uth saved Cologne's honor (4-1, 70th), four minutes after Gnabry's 4-0 goal.

Coach Hansi Flick had, it is true, a bit disorganized his defense by replacing Jérôme Boateng by Lucas Hernandez in central hinge at the break, and the brilliant defensive midfielder Joshua Kimmich by Corentin Tolisso at the hour of play.

Hernandez, who is gradually returning after four months off (ankle), hopes to be fully on pace for Chelsea on February 25. Tolisso, world champion like Hernandez, but relegated to the bench since the arrival of Hansi Flick at the beginning of November, on the other hand has little short-term prospects: he had only played a total of 33 minutes in the last 9 Bayern championship matches.

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