Bayern Munich vs. Stuttgart: Score and Reaction from 2015 Bundesliga Match

Bayern Munich opened an eight-point cushion at the head of the Bundesliga after beating Stuttgart 4-0 on Saturday, where Pep Guardiola's side produced no fewer than four different goalscorers against their struggling opposition.

The attacking quartet of Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller each scored to put the Allianz Arena hosts 4-0 up by half-time, but Stuttgart managed to hold their hosts to a goalless draw in the second period.

Those four players in particular combined beautifully for the home outfit as Muller added two assists to his strike, with Bayern having now netted 18 goals in their last four home Bundesliga fixtures.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

After drawing 0-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt in their previous domestic outing, Saturday's result was a fine way for Der FCB to reassert their table dominance, while Stuttgart's survival campaign drags on.

It took Bayern all of 11 minutes to open the scoring through the fit-again Robben, scoring his second goal in three games to cap off a barnstorming counter-attack executed by the quick feet of Costa.

Stuttgart were pressing Guardiola's men inside their own half before Costa's break down the right saw him move from one end of the pitch to the other in seconds, crossing for Robben to chest in the opener. Squawka illustrated the Brazilian's playmaking potency since moving to Germany over the summer:

Just six minutes passed before Costa's turn came to score after Stuttgart's left flank was once again exposed—this time by Muller—for Guardiola's in-form winger to lash home from just inside the box.

A Bayern Munich rout doesn't seem complete these days unless Lewandowski plays some role in it, but the Pole was made to wait until the 38th minute for his second goal this week and creator Muller got on the scoresheet several minutes later.

The stalemate at Eintracht Frankfurt caused some critics to start asking questions of Guardiola's tactics, but Spanish football writer Rafael Hernandez noted how fluidly things appeared to work on Saturday:

DW Sports noticed a trend in Bayern's recent form at home, having hammered Arsenal in the Champions League just three days prior to their rout of Stuttgart:

With three points theirs to throw away, Bayern's second-half performance was unsurprisingly a much more subdued one, with maestros Muller and Costa eventually making way for Holger Badstuber and Thiago Alcantara, respectively.

Defender Badstuber is making yet another return to the Bayern first team after struggling with his latest knee injury, a long-awaited comeback for the Germany international:

Stuttgart could at least take some small consolation from keeping a second-half clean sheet, and one couldn't help but feel some sympathy for visiting goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton:

Bayern are yet to drop a point at home this season and will enjoy an eight-point advantage over second-place Borussia Dortmund, who play host to Schalke on Sunday in the first Revierderby of the season.

Guardiola's men will be sure to assess that fixture, too, considering it's the Miners Bayern face next with a trip to the Veltins-Arena in two weeks' time.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart could drop into the bottom three this weekend depending on the fortunes of Werder Bremen, who travel to bottom side Augsburg on Sunday level on points with Alexander Zorniger's side.

Post-Match Reaction

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Guardiola's Bayern registered another big win to consolidate their vice grip at the Bundesliga summit, and the manager's contract situation was again raised as a topic of conversation following the Stuttgart result.

According to Bundesliga reporter Rylan James, Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge suggested major news will arrive before the winter break:

As sweet as Saturday's victory was, the hint of Guardiola extending his stay at the Allianz Arena may be seen as the best news to emerge on Saturday as his blueprint continues to bring the German giants success.