Bundesliga: Wolfsburg stay on Bayern's tail with 4-0 win at Stuttgart

Wolfsburg kept up the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with an impressive 4-0 win at Stuttgart.

Ivan Perisic struck twice with Robin Knoche and Kevin De Bruyne also on target as some sloppy defending by the hosts invited the Wolves to take all three points.

The emphatic away win put the ball back in Bayern's court and sent a warning that Wolfsburg mean business this season in the race for the title and for Champions League qualification.

Martin Harnik, who had scored three in his last two games, almost gave Stuttgart an early lead, but instead their defensive problems raised their ugly head.

A clearance from Oriol Romeu hit his own team-mate Antonio Rudiger with the ball falling into the path of Perisic, who skipped past Georg Niedermeier before despatching his shot low into the far corner of Thorsten Kirschbaum's net.

Ivica Olic hit the top of crossbar as Wolfsburg went close again.

Stuttgart were setting the tone of the game with their attacks - and also with their defensive disorganisation - but they could not find the end product, and Knoche showed them how it was done as he headed Wolfsburg two ahead just before half-time.

Another defensive mistake, this time from Niedermeier, allowed Vieirinha to send a cross in from the right and De Bruyne took it first time to tuck in from close range at the far post to make it 3-0.

Stuttgart had recovered from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Bayer Leverkusen in their last home game, but there was to be no repeat this time.

Filip Kostic missed the target with his shot from 25 yards and, in spite of Stuttgart's eagerness to salvage something, it was not going to be their day.

Perisic compounded their woes in the 88th minute by adding a fourth for the Wolves. Moritz Leitner gave possession away cheaply and launched a counter-attack which saw De Bruyne deliver the ball to the far post, where the Croatian was unmarked to complete the scoring.