Borussia Dortmund vs. Hannover: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game

Borussia Dortmund suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the Bundesliga on Saturday when Hannover 96 came to town and duly surprised Jurgen Klopp's side with a well-earned 1-0 win.

Tayfun Korkut's team were quite comfortably considered second favourites in this tie, despite Dortmund's continued poor form in the league, but they were able to take advantage of a set piece halfway through the second half and hold on for the win. 

Despite wrapping up their Champions League group with another powerful away win in Turkey during the midweek, Klopp's team now sink to 15th in the league as they continue to struggle against domestic opposition. 

Here are the winners and losers from Saturday's game.

Loser: Dortmund Front Line

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

In an incredibly frustrating match for Dortmund, we once again saw Klopp's side waste chance after chance in front of the Hannover goal. 

Though Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang squandered the most obvious opportunities, it was ultimately a group failure across Klopp's entire midfield and front line.

While Robert Lewandowski settles into life in Munich, Dortmund must be wondering how long it will be until the likes of Adrian Ramos and Ciro Immobile start killing games off like the Polish international used to. Until they do, this side look destined to continue dropping points.

Winner: Hannover's Turn in Form

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

One side that has left the Westfalenstadion with a huge sigh of relief is, of course, be Hannover, who have now managed to curb a poor run of form that saw them lose their last three games on the bounce. 

Korkut's side have also managed to pick up their first away win of the season—against none other than Dortmund—and will now look to build upon that unexpected result when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt at home next week. 

The Reds have had a very inconsistent season so far, but now that Bayern Munich and Dortmund are out of the way until March, they'll be more than hopeful of picking up points and marching back up the league table.

Loser: Dortmund's Home Form

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Dortmund have only won a single game at the Westfalenstadion in the Bundesliga this season. Let's just allow that to sink in for a minute. 

Dortmund were once renowned for their home form and the ferocious atmosphere of their famous stadium, but now clubs from throughout Germany are arriving at the Westfalenstadion with little intimidation or fear when they face Klopp's side.

Dortmund are in desperate need of a return to form, but until they can get the basics right and start winning in front of their own fans, nothing is going to come off for them at the moment.

Winner: Hiroshi Kiyotake

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Hiroshi Kiyotake was the man who opened the scoring on Saturday with a piece of magic that the Bundesliga has become accustomed to seeing from the Japanese international.

With a free-kick on the edge of the Dortmund box, Kiyotake comfortably knocked the ball over the wall and back down to Roman Weidenfeller's right to score what was Hannover's first real chance in the whole game.

Although the Japanese attacking midfielder is used to bagging goals and assists aplenty each season, this was his first of the current campaign. It goes without saying that he opened his account for this season at an opportune time.

Loser: Dortmund's Post-Champions League Form

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

For what seems like the hundredth time for most Dortmund fans, Klopp's side once again looked tired and out of ideas against Hannover—just days after their emphatic win over Galatasaray in the Champions League. 

With a decision that would ultimately come to cost his side all three points on Saturday, Klopp stuck with a largely unchanged team against Hannover, despite the fact that his squad has regularly exhibited poor domestic form after each Champions League game this season.

Although no players in particular looked jaded or appeared as if they were carrying knocks, Dortmund overall simply did not look like their old selves—which, in the end, played into Hannover's hands.