Leipzig's Diego Demme (R) vies with Dortmund's Achraf Hakimi during a German Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 19, 2019. Leipzig lost 0-1. (Xinhua/Kevin Voigt)
BERLIN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Leaders Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways after Axel Witsel scored the 1-0 winner to edge resilient Leipzig at the 18th round in Bundesliga on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund maintain their six-point advantage atop the standings as wasteful Leipzig were unable to cancel out Witsel's early opener despite several opportunities.
Both sides staged a lively opening period with fast-paced attacks via the wings at both ends of the pitch.
Dortmund step-by-step took the reins and broke the deadlock with 19 minutes played when Axel Witsel capitalized on a flicked on corner to unleash a hammer into the roof of the net.
Leipzig tried to respond but they lacked in accuracy to produce clear-cut chances against a well-positioned Dortmund defense. Meanwhile the hosts almost doubled the lead before the break but Abdou Diallo's header missed the target just wide.
After the restart, Leipzig squandered the golden chance to level the scores as Marcel Sabitzer failed to beat Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki from very close range in the 47th minute.
Dortmund responded moments later when Maximilian Philipp tested Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi with an attempt on target. However, Leipzig continued to press for the equalizer but Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen were unable to benefit on Buerki's moment of madness at the edge of the box.
Ralf Rangnick's men continued on the front foot while Dortmund focused on a wait-and-see strategy and lurked for counter attacks.
Nevertheless, Werner and Sabitzer had promising opportunities in the closing period but Dortmund custodian Buerki was on guard to secure his side all three points on home soil.
With the result, Dortmund recorded their 14th win of the season to stay atop the standings whereas Leipzig remain on the 4th place of the standings.
Elsewhere, Eintrach Frankfurt started with a win into the second half of the season after overpowering Freiburg 3-1 with three first half goals.
Borussia Monchengladbach wrapped up a narrow 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen as Alassane Plea scored the only goal of the game.
Stuttgart suffered their straight third loss, which is their 12th overall this season, after losing 3-2 to Mainz.
Newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf snatched a late 2-1 win over Augsburg by courtesy on Bentio Raman's last-grasp decider and Werder Bremen edged bottom side Hannover 1-0.
The following fixtures conclude the 18th round on Sunday: newly promoted Nuremberg face Hertha Berlin and Schalke meet Wolfsburg.
