Bayern in ten score early for the 4-2 at Wolfsburg and lead the Bundesliga

Ten-man Bayern Munich scored three goals in the first 19 minutes in a 4-2 defeat at Wolfsburg on Sunday to return to the top of the Bundesliga table with their first league win of the year.

Kingsley Coman scored superbly for a brace in the ninth and 14th minute and Thomas Müller made it 3-0 home in the 19th minute as Bayern earned full points after drawing their first three league games of 2023.

Jakub Kaminski picked up one for Wolfsburg in the 44th minute and midfielder Joshua Kimmich was sent off in the 54th minute for a second booking.

But a stunning solo from Jamal Musiala in the 73rd minute scored for Bayern, though Wolfsburg got a second from Mattias Svanberg in the 81st minute and another disallowed.

“It became a lot of work as the game went on. Conceding just before half-time and then sending off. The 4-1 was very important,” Müller told streaming portal DAZN.

“It was clear that we wanted to win. We had to win. But I see potential to improve. In the end, the win was deserved even if Wolfsburg had their chances.”

The 10-time defending champions have seemed mostly insensitive to the unrest at the club after injured captain Manuel Neuer’s harsh criticisms of the club’s sporting leadership in connection with the release of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic.

Bayern are one point clear of Union Berlin and three clear of Borussia Dortmund in the table. Union beat Mainz 2-1 on Saturday and Dortmund beat Freiburg 5-1.

VfB Stuttgart meanwhile lost 2-0 at home to Werder Bremen in Sunday’s other match, remaining winless in the second half of the Bundesliga season under new manager Bruno Labbadia and stuck in the championship danger zone in third last.

Bremen are eighth after their first win in ten years in Stuttgart thanks to second-half goals from Jens Stage and Marvin Duksch.

Bayern had won their opening game of the year 4-0 over Mainz in the German Cup in mid-week and showed similar form early on against Wolfsburg, against whom they have lost just four of their previous 51 duels.

Coman’s cross went into the penalty area where Müller was lying in wait and irritated goalkeeper Koen Casteels who dropped the ball into the bottom right corner.

Casteels were beaten again in the same corner five minutes later, when Coman struck home a cross from new signing Joao Cancelo, and Müller then came on from Kimmich’s free-kick to make it 3-0 in the 19th minute.

Kaminski revived Wolfsburg’s hopes just before the break, and Kimmich’s dismissal made life even more difficult for Bayern, as Ridle Baku should have done better when he headed completely unmarked into the arms of the goalkeeper. Bayern Yann Sommer.

Teenage Musiala then showed his class as he ran past four defenders to bring down the fourth.

But it wasn’t over yet as Svanberg scored eight minutes later. Bayern were lucky as Wolfsburg had a third disallowed for an early-stage foul and Sommer made a good save from Svanberg in stoppage time.