Bayern Munich kicked off the second half of the Bundesliga season with a professional 2-0 victory away to Borussia Monchengladbach, who were previously unbeaten at home.
The hosts started well, but Bayern soon got on top and went ahead through Mario Gotze, who swept in Thomas Muller's cross from the right.
Gladbach twice struck the woodwork, but the decisive goal came not long after the restart as Muller fired in a penalty following a handball from Granit Xhaka.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Hello fussball fans! The Bundesliga is back! And what a game to get the second half of the season underway with the champions travelling to unbeaten at home Gladbach. This should be very good.
It's eight wins and a draw from Gladbach's nine games here at Borussia-Park so far and they have looked very impressive. It's certainly one of the hardest encounters - on paper - that Bayern will have this season. In the break, while other teams were on training camps, Bayern went off and won the Club World Cup.
Right then, before we get further into the buildup, let's have a look at the lineups shall we?
GLADBACH XI: Ter Stegen; Korb, Stranzl, Dominguez, Wendt; Herrmann, Kramer, Xhaka, Arango; Raffael, Kruse
BAYERN XI: Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Lahm; Muller, Thiago, Kroos, Shaqiri; Gotze
Gladbach subs: Heimeroth, Daems, Nordveit, De Jong, Rupp, Hrgota, Younes
Bayern subs: Starke, Pizarro, Sallahi, Contento, Hojbjerg, Weiser, Robben
So it's as expected from the hosts. The prolific strike partnership of Raffael and Max Kruse continue up front and with those two the Bayern defence will have a tough task tonight. They complement each other so well - Kruse moving into the channels and Raffael arriving late into the box. Luuk de Jong, amid the speculation about a potential move to the Premier League, is on the bench.
It's an interesting XI from Pep Guardiola, with only one senior striker in the squad in Claudio Pizarro, who is on the bench. Franck Ribery misses out altogether, Arjen Robben is only a sub and there are several youth players also in the 18. With Mario Gotze preferred as a false nine today Gladbach won't be too worried about this team I'd have thought.
There was talk that Guardiola has not been happy with Mario Mandzukic's application in training and his team today just about confirms that. As well as Pizarro, some youth players might have a chance to impress today. Mitchell Weiser, a winger, might well get on looking at the teams.
PREDICTION: The odds are heavily in Bayern's favour, with 1/2 being the best you would get, while Gladbach are way back at 6/1 in places. I can't see a home win, saying that, but the draw at 7/2 is very interesting indeed. This certainly won't be as easy as the bookies think, so I'm going 2-2.
KICKOFF: The Bundesliga is back! Bayern are straight on the ball at the back after the lengthy winter break.
Something of a chance there for the hosts, as Martin Stranzl tries to head in a set piece, but Dante was able to hack clear. The Brazilian was then tested on the ground as Kruse almost got in behind him, but the former Gladbach man had enough strength to brush him off.
Bayern are playing with an exceptionally high defensive line when not on the ball, and when on it Lahm is dropping deep into the back line to create a makeshift back three. It's very typically Guardiola from the men in red at the moment. They haven't created a chance yet, though, and indeed the hosts are looking more threatening on the ball.
MISS! Oh my what a miss from Gotze! Muller pings it to his feet and instead of playing the one-two Gotze flicks over the top to create a one-on-one. With the goal gaping he passes his effort wide of the opposite post and Gladbach survive. That's a horror miss.
GOAL! Gladbach 0-1 Bayern (Mario Gotze)
He makes up for it though! That's his fifth Bayern goal and it was a more difficult chance certainly. The ball is clipped round the corner by Rafinha to Muller, who had broken clear. His looked up to see Gotze in space and picked him out for the forward to clip beyond Ter Stegen - good finish. Really swift attack there for Bayern.
There's a long way to go in this one, but that's an ominous sign I think. Gladbach looked threatening early on but the champions can be breathtaking when they attack. That goal will delight Guardiola - the movement is exactly what he's trying to create.
SAVE! Powerful hit there from Rafinha from all of 30 yards. It's a good height for Ter Stegen but he still had to get across to push it wide.
It looks as though David Moyes's holiday has extended into Germany now - the Manchester United boss is here in the stands. Perhaps he's doing some research, what with his side's awful performance against Sunderland the other night.
Different goalkeeping there from Ter Stegen, who races out of his box to head the ball away from Shaqiri. He's back quickly on to his line, but Thiago is deemed to have fouled Korb anyway.
Neuer at the other end is even quicker off his line, as Kruse is played in with a ball from Xhaka. Really well read by the Germany number one as he hacks it clear.
Kramer gives the ball away and from it Rafinha and Muller play some keep ball on the edge of the box. In the end the ball is crossed in but Alaba concedes a foul at the far post. He missed it and it was going out for a goal kick anyway.
Shot from Gotze, this time from just outside the box. There was some excellent football between him and Muller, who flicked into his German teammate's path, but a looping half-volley goes over the top of the far post. It would have been spectacular.
Thiago takes one for the team there and is lucky not to go into the book. Gladbach had the chance on the break after taking the ball from him but Kramer was pulled back by the Spaniard, who got away with it. Just early enough in the game, I suppose.
Fantastic footwork there from Gotze, who glides from the half-way line right to the edge of the box, but in the end there are too many white shirts to take it round and he gives away a free kick trying to win it back. He's been excellent so far, especially since the early miss.
Bayern are well and truly on top of this one in terms of possession. They've also had much more in the way of chances but would love another one to make their dominance show.
Chance for Raffael to create something, but Dante closed his legs as the Gladbach man tried to put it through. Then he's brought down by Alaba - a chance from this free kick here, about 30 yards out.
SAVE! It's a swirling effort from the left boot of Arango, but unfortunately for him too central and Neuer calmly tips it over. If that was either side of him he might have been scrambling.
BOOKING: Wendt becomes the first player carded - his first of the season - for jumping with an arm against Muller.
A good bit of defending there from Wendt who manages to take the ball of Gotze at the far post following a cross. That could have been a brilliant chance, but the young Swede kept his nerve to win it back.
OFF THE POST! Gladbach so close to levelling! The throw from Wendt sets Kruse away down the left and the striker twists to deceive Dante, but sees his shot rattle the base of the post. Dante switched off there.
I've seen another replay of that Kruse chance and it looks as though Neuer got a fingertip on it. If so that's a really fantastic stop! Two minutes to go of the half, and it's been a good one - Gladbach really coming into it in the last few.
SAVE! Neuer has definitely stopped that one. Bayern are a shambles at the back at the moment, and Arango's shot from an angle is pushed clear and fortunately for the Bayern keeper not into the path of a home player.
HALF-TIME: Gladbach 0-1 Bayern
For a lot of that half Bayern were on top, but they could well have been going in level as Gladbach finished very strongly indeed. There's plenty in this one yet.
Gotze and Muller have been comfortably Bayern's best players. They have linked up really well on the right and it was that combination - Muller pulling back to Gotze - that led to the only goal so far.
Gladbach looked confident very early on, but then until the final 10 minutes of the half they were outplayed. That said, if not for Neuer, Gladbach would be level in this one. For them Kruse has been very effective running the channels.
Raffael hasn't quite been the creative force that he was during the first half of the season. It probably won't happen yet, but De Jong is an option off the bench if they need a goal.
The Gladbach players are back out, and now here come Bayern to a chorus of whistles.
Here we go then, Bayern get us back underway and are immediately looking to pass it around at the back.
Gotze really has been very good. He loses the ball in the box to Arango, but battles back to win it again until Kroos's ball into the box is too long. Bayern have started on the front foot.
Ambitious header from nearly the edge of the box from Muller, moving away from goal. It's testament to his neck strength that Ter Stegen needed to keep it out.
Gladbach are yet to get going in this half and they are really struggling to get out of their own area. It's Xhaka this time who hacks the ball out of play under pressure.
PENALTY TO BAYERN!
GOAL! Gladbach 0-2 Bayern (Thomas Muller, pen)
It's all happening! First Ter Stegen pulls off a quite outstanding double save from Thiago I think and then Gotze before Xhaka handballs from the rebound. Muller slams it down the middle to put his side 2-0 ahead. That's really harsh on Ter Stegen, who was brilliant a few moments before.
Header deep beyond the far post from Stranzl is goalbound but easy enough for Neuer to gather. There's concern for Bayern as Gotze clashed with Stranzl and then Alaba and is down receiving treatment.
Decent enough hit there from Kruse from about 20 yards. It was struck hard and low on his left foot but Neuer was down quickly to get behind it.
Herrmann has been quite wasteful with his shooting so far and he's just blown what was his best chance of the game to date. A half-volley from an angle flies well over the bar.
CHANCE! Really well worked free kick for Bayern there. Shaqiri lays right to Kroos, who clipped deep to the far post for Dante. His attempted cross is scrambled clear before a player in red could turn it in.
OFF THE POST! Gladbach hit the woodwork again and this time it's Herrmann. The winger turns on the afterburners and then shoots low from an angle but his chance bounces back off the foot of the post. So close. Then at the other end Shaqiri clips goalwards from an angle and his shot goes only a few inches wide. It's opening up.
MISS! Oh dear Herrmann! It's a brilliant sweeping move as Xhaka spreads wide to Raffael, who plays in Herrmann in the middle, but the German scuffs his shot wide when he really should have hit the target.
The pressure from Gladbach has finally died down just a little bit. Bayern have ridden their luck on a few occasions in the last few minutes, but are back on the ball and looking confident once more.
Free kick to Bayern wide on the right after Muller was kicked by Kramer. It's something of a retaliation following what looked a foul on Kruse shortly before, but even so Kramer cannot do that.
The crowd have gone a bit quiet and the football has slowed down quite a bit. It does look like the result is safe, but Gladbach have hit the post twice so you never know.
GLADBACH SUB: Branimir Hrgota is on for Herrmann, who has been lively but wasteful. Immediately Hrgota has a shot and it's deflected wide.
A really long spell of possession from Bayern, with Gotze and Kroos heavily involved, ends with Alaba crossing too close to Ter Stegen and the keeper gathers. Bayern are seeing this out with neat passing triangles at the moment.
BOOKING: Kroos becomes the second player booked for a late tackle on Xhaka. He was just too slow in the tackle there. On comes Arjen Robben for Shaqiri - not half a bad player to come on at 2-0 to the good!
BOOKING: Awful tackle from Kramer there, who slid in from the side on Robben and brought the Dutchman down. Here's another change for Bayern, with opening scorer Gotze making way for Claudio Pizarro.
Dominguez clatters into his compatriot Thiago on the half-way line and trots back to the centre of defence. He escaped a booking there and maybe because Thaigo didn't make a fuss about it.
CLOSE! Brilliant work from Alaba, who drove into the box from the left and shot with his left foot, but the full-back's shot goes into the side netting. Final change for Bayern as Pierre Hojbjerg comes on for Kroos.
CHANCE! Pizarro should be scoring there! He turns in the box to deceive his man but his low shot hits the underneath of Ter Stegen's thigh and stays out. Big chance.
There will be two minutes of time added on, as Raffael swings in a cross but Neuer is fouled in the air.
FULL-TIME: Gladbach 0-2 Bayern
I wonder when Bayern will be beaten again in the Bundesliga. They have largely outplayed a side who until now were unbeaten at home. Bayern go 10 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen. It looks as good as over.
Thanks for joining me today. I'll be back over the weekend with much more Bundesliga action, but until then it's goodbye.
