Thiago strike gets Bayern off the hook
Thiago Alcantara scored the winner as Bayern Munich continued to ease the pressure on coach Niko Kovac with a 2-1 Bundesliga win at Mainz.
Leon Goretzka's volley put the visitors ahead after a sustained period of attacking pressure but Bayern's defensive frailties were exposed by a fast Mainz break and a Jean-Paul Boetius goal just after half-time.
A draw would have been a disappointing result for Kovac's men, who went into the game trailing league leader Borussia Dortmund by four points, but Thiago's first league goal of the season helped them to a third successive win in all competitions.
Defeat leaves Mainz winless in six and head coach Sandro Schwarz must stop the rot if his side is to avoid a relegation battle.
The hosts set their stall out to defend and packed their penalty area but Joshua Kimmich shook the frame of the goal after 26 minutes when he sent a swerving drive onto the crossbar.
After VAR (video assistant referee) was used to rule out a Thiago close-range volley that found the net through a crowded box, Bayern opened the scoring on 39 minutes when Kimmich's neat cross from the right was volleyed home smartly by Goretzka from 10 yards out.
Within three minutes of the restart Mainz was level, Daniel Brosinski's cross from the right reaching the far post where Boetius shrugged off Kimmich before beating Manuel Neuer low to the goalkeeper's left with a side-footed finish.
But just after the hour mark, Bayern netted again.
Robert Lewandowski scampered down the right side of the penalty area and whipped in a low cross that found Thiago, who slid in and guided the ball into the left corner of the net to allow the visitors, their coach and their supporters to breathe a sigh of relief.
Bayern must travel north to face Regionalliga side Rodinghausen in the DFB-Pokal, while Mainz faces the rather more difficult task of a cup game away at Augsburg.
