Schalke form continues with Gladbach win

There wasn't much cause for celebration, but Tranquillo Barnetta had double reason: he made his 250th appearance and scored the decisive goal as Schalke staggered towards a 1-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Due to reports of a bomb threat in-and-around the Veltins Arena, eventually dismissed by the authorities, the match - scheduled to start at 2030 CET - kicked-off 10 minutes late. After a cagey but even start to proceedings, the Royal Blues hit the net with Kevin-Prince Boateng delivering an inch-perfect cross for the onrushing Barnetta who finished with conviction.

Scoring opportunities were at a minimum as Roberto di Matteo's 5-3-2 setup choked the transitional play from the visitors. Lucien Favre, the Gladbach coach, did welcome back Thorgan Hazard and Raffael to the fold, but neither were able to unlock the rearguard that included former Manchester City stopper Matija Nastasic, Joel Matip and Benedikt Höwedes.

The return of Ibrahima Traore, off the bench, sparked a short-lived improvement. The 26-year-old was representing his national team (Guinea) at the Africa Cup of Nations, which concludes this weekend. In the 64th minute, the winger rushed into a first-time cutback which was blocked by rookie keeper Timon Wellenreuther.

Holding on

The 19-year-old made his Bundesliga debut as a half-time substitute at Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening, and impressed in his first start, commanding his penalty area and coming to collect crosses with the same assurance as first-choice Ralf Fährmann.

Five minutes later, Schalke were denied the likelihood of a second goal when Granit Xhaka tracked back and executed an outstanding last-ditch challenge to prevent Boateng from knocking the ball home.

Holding on for their fifth game without defeat under the former Chelsea coach, the Royal Blues budge the Foals out of third-spot with the Gelsenkirchen club now holding a one-point advantage over Gladbach.