Niko Kovac Looking Forward to 'Celebrate Easter as League Leaders' After Narrow Bayern Munich Win

Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač is exited to "celebrate Easter as league leaders" following the club's hard-fought 1-0 win over SV Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač is exited to "celebrate Easter as league leaders" following the club's hard-fought 1-0 win over SV Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Florian Kohfeldt's side executed their game plan perfectly at the Allianz Arena and it appeared that they'd take one point back to Bremen, but Miloš Veljković's red card turned the match on its head and Bayern Munich snatched the win thanks to Niklas Süle's deflected shot.

The result has left the Bavarian giants with a four-point lead at the top of the table, with Borussia Dortmund not playing until Sunday, and Kovač insists that his side deserved to take another big step in their hopes of winning the Bundesliga. 

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"It was difficult for both teams, the conditions were extreme," Kovač said, quoted by the club's official website. "From zero to 100, so to speak, in 25-degree heat, that's not easy. 

"We knew it would be hard to play against Bremen. It's their first defeat after the winter break, they failed to score for the first time. We had to be patient. The sending-off made things a bit easier for us in the second half.

"I wish we'd used our wealth of chances and won by two or three goals, but a 1-0 win is enough. We've taken three points, and we're glad we can celebrate Easter as league leaders. The victory was fully deserved."

Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen will go head-to-head once again in midweek in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal, with either RB Leipzig or Hamburger SV waiting in the final.

Leipzig are going back on tour 🚄🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/gP3tTMjuHA

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) April 20, 2019

But the club's focus will first be on Borussia Dortmund's attempt to close the gap at the top of the table when Lucien Favre's side travel to face SC Freiburg.