'Tired' and 'lucky' Union move up to first in Bundesliga

Jaeckel's 76th-minute goal was followed by a second yellow card for Serhou Guirassy just seven minutes later, leaving Stuttgart short-handed and Union in control. Union's rivals Freiburg, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all drew this weekend, giving the Berliners a chance to extend their lead. Stuttgart-born Union midfielder Rani Khedira said relief rather than elation was the major feeling.

"It was a lucky win for us. We wanted to play compact and then somehow score the goal," Khedira told DAZN. "We managed to do that. We didn't show a nice game - you could tell we were tired." Union manager Urs Fischer agreed with Khedira, saying "given the chances (we had), you might need a bit of match luck - and we had that today. We were a bit sloppy in the beginning, but over time we got better and better - the boys did a great game today."