Bayern Munich went top of the Bundesliga on goal difference after a 6-0 home thrashing of Wolfsburg on Saturday as long-time leaders Borussia Dortmund scraped a 3-1 home win over VfB Stuttgart.
Dortmund had been top of the Bundesliga since matchday six but a run of just one win in their previous five leagues games has allowed Bayern to overhaul what was a 9-point gap.
With just nine games left and a meeting between the sides in Munich on April 6, Bayern now look favourites for a seventh straight title after Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski (2), James Rodriguez, Thomas Mueller and Joshua Kimmich all got on the scoresheet.
Dortmund prevailed thanks to a scrappy Paco Alcacer goal on 84 minutes and a late Christian Pulisic strike after Marc-Oliver Kempf's header cancelled out a Marco Reus penalty.
In Saturday's other two early kick-offs, third-placed RB Leipzig drew 0-0 with Augsburg and Freiburg beat Hertha Berlin 2-1.
Borussia Moenchengladbach, in the fourth and final Champions League spot, visit Mainz in the late game.
Bayern, who started with Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Mueller in the week they were permanently axed from the Germany set-up, have now won five on the bounce in the Bundesliga.
Coach Niko Kovac overcame a sticky spell at the beginning of his first season in charge to reel in and overtake Dortmund, with Saturday's display easily their best of the season.
Mueller quickly showed he is still of use in Bavaria by squaring for Gnabry to poke in amid indecisive Wolfsburg defending on 34 minutes.
Bayern, who host Liverpool in their Champions League last 16 second leg on Wednesday with the score locked at 0-0, soon doubled their lead through Lewandowski after a flowing move.
He went ahead of Werder Bremen's Claudio Pizarro as the Bundesliga's all-time top non-German scorer.
James curled in a delightful third early in the second half as rampant Bayern embarrassed a seventh-placed Wolfsburg side otherwise enjoying a surprisingly strong season.
Mueller then got a deserved goal with a cute finish, Kimmich scored on 82 minutes and Lewandowski completed the rout soon after to take his tally to 197 Bundesliga goals.
Rivals Dortmund in contrast put on another nervous display at home to a Stuttgart team in the relegation play-off spot.
In all competitions, Lucien Favre's side had managed only one win in their last eight outings, including a Champions League exit to Tottenham Hotspur, and it showed.
Spain forward Alcacer was drafted into Dortmund's starting line-up to try to boost their attacking verve from the off, but the hosts barely mustered a chance in the first quarter of the game.
Mario Goetze shot well over before Stuttgart's Nicolas Gonzalez fluffed arguably the best chance of the first period. England winger Jadon Sancho then went close as Dortmund gradually improved in the rain.
It was Sancho who was felled for the penalty on the hour and Reus dispatched it with aplomb, but instead of kicking on Dortmund left themselves exposed.
Former Dortmund midfielder Gonzalo Castro sent in a teasing free-kick and Kempf was allowed the space to power in a header on 71 minutes.
Alcacer eventually spared Dortmund's blushes following a spot of pinball in the box and Pulisic's injury-time goal flattered the hosts.
The clash in Munich next month is shaping up to be an epic title duel. Dortmund won their home match with Bayern 3-2 in November.
Leipzig laboured to remain 11 points behind Dortmund while Hertha Berlin's Vedad Ibisevic scored at both ends in Freiburg to hand the hosts victory after Nils Petersen's opener.
Hoffenheim welcome bottom side Nuremberg and second-bottom Hanover entertain Bayer Leverkusen in Sunday's fixtures, with Fortuna Dusseldorf against fifth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt following on Monday. Struggling Schalke lost 4-2 at Werder Bremen on Friday.
