Schalke scrap to Stuttgart victory to keep survival chances alive
Hopes of just a second away clean sheet this term quickly faded for the visitors, as Schalke roared into the lead within the first 10 minutes.
Rallied by an ever-deafening home faithful, Michael Frey raced down the left wing before pitching a fantastic cross for Dominick Drexler, who guided a perfect header past Fabian Bredlow.
Before kick-off, Schalke had scored 10 goals fewer than any other side in the Bundesliga, yet the Royal Blues continued to pile forward in search of a second.
Stuttgart keeper Bredlow was on hand to keep the deficit at one, but even he was rendered powerless by Marius Bulter’s moment of sheer genius. With just minutes remaining in the first half, the 29-year-old produced an outrageous flick to double the lead in sensational style.
After keeping four consecutive clean sheets in the Bundesliga, Schalke must've been confident of seeing out a first league win since November given their two-goal lead.
Stuttgart were in no mood to lie down though, as Borna Sosa demonstrated with a thunderous strike that brought a fine stop from Ralf Fahrmann.
The veteran goalkeeper went from hero to zero minutes later though, as he allowed another Sosa effort to roll through his legs, providing the visitors hope of a late comeback.
The 34-year-old shot stopper was able to brush off this mistake and play an instrumental role in getting his side over the line, as he produced a phenomenal save to deny Wataru Endo's header late on.
As a result, Thomas Reis' men ended their longest run of top-flight draws since 1999 with a huge victory that reignites their survival bid.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dominick Drexler (Schalke)