Deniz Undav made it 11 goals in 12 Bundesliga matches as Stuttgart cruised to a 3-0 victory at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday to climb to fourth.
The German Cup holders barely broke a sweat against a poor Gladbach side, who are on the slide having lost four of their past six games.
Stuttgart are only behind third-placed Hoffenheim, who have a game in hand, on goal difference.
“The team chemistry has gone to another level,” Undav said.
“We’ve got loads of quality and depth. It doesn’t matter who starts and who comes off the bench.”
Gladbach’s Haris Tabakovic missed an early penalty before Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling scored the opener.
After Joe Scally bundled the ball into his own net, substitute Undav sealed the match with a late strike.
Tabakovic’s limp penalty, given when Leweling handled the ball in the box, was easily stopped by Germany goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel with 13 minutes gone.
It was the Bosnian’s second missed spot-kick in three months.
Gladbach dropped their heads and Stuttgart pounced, Leweling dancing through the penalty area before blasting home on the half-hour mark.
“I wasn’t on my game today but as a striker you’ve got a chance to make things good with a goal,” Leweling told DAZN:
Undav’s introduction in the 61st minute proved key as the ball bounced in off Scally’s back while he tried to mark the German international at a corner.
Undav then added one of his own with 23 minutes remaining, piloting a low shot into the bottom corner.
Earlier on Sunday, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko scored on his debut with second-tier Schalke in a 2-2 home draw with Kaiserslautern, helping his side maintain a two-point lead at the top of the table.
Signing from Fiorentina on Friday, the 39-year-old Dzeko came off the bench late on and scored with three minutes remaining to become the oldest goalscorer in Bundesliga 2 history.
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