Teenager Talents

Khedira, 19, playing in only his fourth top flight game since being promoted from the club's amateur team, volleyed home from 20 meters in the 32nd and tapped in from short range seconds into the second half.

Tasci, also 19 years of age, wrapped up matters from short range in the 75th.

"It was a great feeling. We had respect for Schalke but after the second goal the game was ours," said Khedira, who is fighting for a new contract at the club.

Tasci said: "The whole team played really well, not just the youngsters. We now hope to stay in the upper regions of the standings."

Stuttgart are unbeaten in seven matches and moved within four points of leaders Werder Bremen. Schalke could have drawn even with Bremen, but instead rank third behind the northern Germans and champions Bayern Munich.

Bielefeld moves up

Bremen have 19 points, Munich and Schalke are locked on 16 ahead of their showdown next weekend at Schalke, Stuttgart have 15, and Arminia Bielefeld rose to fifth from a 5-1 demolition of Alemannia Aachen in the other Sunday game.

Jonas Kamper struck twice, with Radim Kucera, Artur Wichniarek and substitute Christian Eigler scoring the other goals for Bielefeld. Reiner Plasshenrich was on target for Aachen.

Saturday's match between Bayern and Frankfurt Eintracht was over as a contest by half-time at 2-1, with goals from Dutch pair Roy Makaay and Mark van Bommel. Bayern even had the luxury of missing a penalty from Peruvian forward Claudio Pizarro on the stroke of half-time.

But it is Bremen who are impressing most and they have bagged six goals in each of their last two away games, beating Bochum 6-0 prior to last weekend's top-of-the-table victory.

"New dimension"

This win over third-from-bottom Mainz was due in large part to the return to goal-scoring form of Germany forward Miroslav Klose, who notched a brace, and the continuing mastery of Brazilian playmaker Diego.

"He is playing in a completely different dimension," was the verdict from the beaten team's management after the match.

Klose had gone 618 minutes without a goal but his partnership with Diego is starting to click into gear, the Brazilian finding a new lease on life in the Bundesliga after struggling with Porto in the Portuguese league for the last couple of seasons.

Bremen now have 19 points from nine matches, three clear of Bayern and Schalke 04, who travel to Stuttgart on Sunday. They could draw level on points but have no chance of overhauling Bremen's vastly superior goal difference advantage.

In other games, Nuremberg remain fifth after they were held 1-1 by Borussia Dortmund, while early pacesetters Hertha Berlin dropped to sixth after a disappointing 2-0 reverse at Energie Cottbus, the only team from the former East Germany in the top flight. Cottbus moved up to fourth in the table from 11th at the start of the day.

Hamburg's troubles continued as they were held 0-0 at home by Hannover 96 and remain hovering over the relegation zone. Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 while rock bottom Bochum were beaten 1-0 at home by VfL Wolfsburg.