Werder Bremen returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-1 victory over bottom side Dusseldorf which saw them move up to seventh in the Bundesliga.
The home side came close early on through Claudio Pizarro before Milot Rashica tested Dusseldorf goalkeeper Michael Rensing.
At the other end, Takashi Usami had an effort blocked and Matthias Zimmermann fired the ball wide as both sides searched for an opener.
Bremen took the lead midway through the first half as, on his first Bundesliga start, Kevin Mohwald powered Max Kruse’s assist into the bottom corner from outside the box.
Dusseldorf struck back just before the break as on-loan Watford midfielder Dodi Lukebakio converted a penalty – awarded after VAR showed Sebastian Langkamp had handled in the box.
Werder continued to boss possession in the second half and Martin Harnik put them ahead for the second time after 71 minutes and – seven minutes later – Joshua Sargent’s close-range header sealed the points.
