Borussia Dortmund won their first four Bundesliga matches of a season for the first time since 2015/16 after defeating Paderborn 3-0 at Signal Iduna Park.
The result extended Dortmund’s unbeaten record against Paderborn to eight meetings and secured a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions.
Paderborn enjoyed much of the early possession as they attempted to exploit a Dortmund team that had been involved in a UEFA Champions League match against Villarreal on Tuesday. However, the visitors were punished inside five minutes after losing the ball high up the pitch.
Serhou Guirassy supplied Fabio Silva with a through ball for the second time in as many league matches. Silva raced clear, rounded goalkeeper Nahuel Noll and finished into the empty net.
The goal ended a run of 10 consecutive goals in the match coming after half-time.
Dortmund nearly doubled their advantage when Joey Veerman’s volley took a dangerous deflection, but Noll reacted sharply to keep the effort out. Paderborn then missed a good opportunity to level when Laurin Curda sent Raphael Obermair’s cross against the side-netting.
Their wait for a first Bundesliga goal since returning to the top flight continued. Dortmund did find the net again before the interval, but Serhou Guirassy had both a chipped finish and a header ruled out for offside.
Paderborn continued to lack a decisive touch after the restart. Noll made another important save to deny Ethan Nwaneri, while Jobe Bellingham headed wide as Dortmund looked to extend their lead.
The home side’s lack of conviction began to create anxiety among the Yellow Wall, but Felix Nmecha produced the moment of quality they needed.
Nmecha exchanged passes with Maximilian Beier, moved past several Paderborn challenges and guided a finish into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Marcel Sabitzer later struck the crossbar, before Nmecha completed the scoring in the 89th minute with an outstanding overhead kick.
Dortmund were not at their most convincing throughout the match, but Nmecha’s second goal gave the final scoreline a more emphatic appearance.
Paderborn may feel the result was harsh given their overall performance, but they remain without a goal or victory in the Bundesliga this season. The defeat also extended their club-record run without a win in the competition to 18 matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nahuel Noll (Paderborn)