The 4-0 victory moves the defending champions closer toward the top five and a place in Europe, while for mid-table Gladbach it was a second successive heavy defeat.

Early chance for Borussia

The Wolves took to the pitch less than two days after returning from their Europa League match at Rubin Kazan and started at an accordingly steady pace against a home side who themselves seemed content to patiently await their opening.

It almost came in the 12th minute, Juan Arango finding Raul Bobadilla free on the edge of the six-yard box, but the striker's header failed to hit the target. Wolfsburg slowly began to come to life themselves from that point on and in the 23rd minute Gladbach midfielder Michael Bradley had to look sharp to block an effort from Edin Dzeko after the VfL frontman had given Roel Brouwers the slip.

Wolfsburg force the pace

Both sides were trying to up the momentum now and with just over half an hour played the visitors carved out a great chance for themselves, Zvjezdan Misimovic playing Marcel Schäfer into space down the left and Dzeko connecting with his cutback, pulling a good save out of Foals keeper Logan Bailly. Wolfsburg were gaining a slight upper hand now in terms of possession, but the next chance fell to Mönchengladbach, Roberto Colautti too hasty however with a header from a corner, allowing VfL stand-in keeper Marwin Hitz to save easily.

Misimovic almost got around Bailly at the other end in immediate response, the Belgian international somehow getting the ball away for a corner. The champions were starting to show what they were made of now and in the 41st minute Dzeko sucked in four Borussia defenders on the left-hand side of the box. The ball was cleared only as far as Misimovic, whose low first-time shot beat Bailly at the near post to put VfL 1-0 up. Dzeko forced another save out of Bailly just a minute later as the away team ended the half strongly.

Rapid-fire start to second half

Borussia had a great chance early in the second 45, when Bobadilla should have done better than fire wide after being excellently put in by Tobias Levels. They were left to rue the opportunity a minute later when Bradley handled a goalward-bound shot from Makoto Hasebe following a corner. Edin Dzeko hammered home the resultant penalty to give the guests a commanding two-goal cushion.

Gladbach tried to rally quickly, another storming run from Levels ending with Arango firing over from a tight angle. That was as close as they would get before the visitors struck for the third time in the 58th minute. Christian Gentner tried his luck from the left edge of the box and the ball flew past Bailly and in off the post, helped on the way by a slight deflection from Levels.

Dzeko strikes again

To their credit the hosts continued to push for a consolation goal at the least but in doing so inevitably left themselves open at the back on occasion. With ten minutes remaining Dzeko, denied shortly before by a last-ditch Brouwers clearance, latched onto a long ball and this time slipped past his marker before astutely beating Bailly, once more at the keeper's near post. It was the Bosnian striker's 14th goal of the season.

Wolfsburg almost added a fifth, Misimovic inches away from connecting with Riether's 87th-minute ball into the six-yard box, but 4-0 it remained, rounding off a satisfying week's work for the back-to-form champions.

Line-ups

Mönchengladbach: Bailly – Levels, Brouwers, Dante, Daems – Reus, Meeuwis (Herrmann 64'), Bradley, Arango – Colautti, Bobadilla (Neuville 65')

Wolfsburg: Hitz – Pekarik, Madlung, Riether, Schäfer – Josué (Schindzielorz 85') – Hasebe (Simunek 49'), Gentner – Misimovic – Martins (Dejagah 63'), Dzeko

Goals: 0-1 Misimovic (41'), 0-2 Dzeko (49', pen.), 0-3 Gentner (58'), 0-4 Dzeko (80')

Attendance at Borussia Park: 40,000