Bundesliga: Mueller brace gives Bayern 14th consecutive league win

Runaway leaders Bayern Munich appeared to barely break sweat in a 4-0 win at Hanover 96 to chalk up their 14th Bundesliga win in a row on Sunday, leaving them a huge 19 points clear at the top.

The defending champions, unbeaten in their last 47 league matches, look well-placed to beat last season's record when they wrapped up the title with six matches to spare.

Thomas Mueller scored twice while Thiago Alcantara and Mario Mandzukic helped themselves to one piece in an embarrassingly one-sided affair watched in near silence by a demoralised 49,000 crowd.

Bayern, who have 62 points from a possible 66 and a goal difference of 52, went ahead with their first clearcut chance when Rafinha broke free on the right and crossed for an unmarked Mueller to head in at the near post.

Nine minutes later, Bastian Schweinsteiger chipped a diagonal ball over the Hanover defence and Alcantara fired past Ron-Robert Zieler.

Mandzukic cleverly set up the third for Mueller in the 59th minute with a neat backheel and the Croatia forward headed the fourth himself from another Rafinha cross seven minutes later, taking his league tally for the season to 13.

At the other end, Bayern, whose last league defeat was at Bayer Leverkusen in October 2012, kept a clean sheet for the sixth consecutive match in all competitions.

Bayern's nearest challengers Bayer Leverkusen lost 3-1 at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, leaving them stuck on 43 points. Borussia Dortmund are a point further back in third after losing 3-0 at Hamburg SV.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen remained uncomfortably close to the danger zone after drawing 0-0 earlier on Sunday. Both have 22 points, three clear of Hamburg who are 16th and in the relegation playoff spot.

Image: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga match against Hanover 96 in Hanover on Sunday

Photograph: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters