VfB Stuttgart climbed back into the Bundesliga top four despite being held to a 1-1 draw by SV Werder Bremen, who strengthened their survival hopes by moving six points clear of the relegation zone.
The result also extended Bremen’s strong recent record in this fixture, having now avoided defeat in four of their last five meetings with Stuttgart.
The hosts looked understandably sluggish early on after a midweek extra-time effort that secured their place in a second consecutive DFB-Pokal final.
Bremen, however, started brighter and almost struck first through Senne Lynen, who wasted two opportunities despite his long wait for a Bundesliga goal, before Jens Stage headed narrowly wide.
Stuttgart were punished for their slow response in the 18th minute when Stage finished clinically, guiding a low first-time strike into the net from Yukinari Sugawara’s cutback.
Bremen could have added a second before the break, with Mio Backhaus producing key saves to deny Bilal El Khannouss and also keeping out a deflected set-piece from Maximilian Mittelstädt, while Deniz Undav missed a late first-half chance for the visitors.
After the interval, Stuttgart struggled to raise their level, prompting head coach Sebastian Hoeneß to introduce Chris Führich and Ermedin Demirović.
The change paid off almost instantly, as Demirović rose to head in El Khannouss’ cross just minutes after coming on to level the score.
Bremen, who had largely lost their attacking edge in the second half, came close to reclaiming the lead when Stage was denied from close range by Alexander Nübel after being left unmarked.
Stuttgart pushed late on, with Backhaus again stepping up to stop a curling effort from Angelo Stiller, as Bremen ultimately held firm for a valuable point.
The draw gives Bremen their first result this season against a top-five side and further boosts their relegation battle, while Stuttgart have now gone three matches without a win in their last four league outings.
