Joshua Kimmich described his winning goal as "brutally important" after Bayern Munich took a huge step towards an eighth straight Bundesliga title on Tuesday with a 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund to leave them seven points clear at the top with just six games left. Kimmich's brilliant effort came just before half-time behind closed doors at Signal Iduna Park as hosts Dortmund missed the chance to turn up the heat on the Bavarians without the backing of their huge support. "It was brutally important. I looked around to see if everyone understood how important it was," Kimmich said of his deft chip.

Kimmich's captain Manuel Neuer echoed the defensive midfielder's thoughts. "That was a very important sign," said Neuer. Bayern won 4-0 when the teams met in Munich in November and they kept up their excellent recent record against second-placed Dortmund. "Now only Bayern can decide what happens," said frustrated Dortmund captain Mats Hummels. "Sometimes, games are decided by brilliant moments and that was the case today."