Harry Kane hat-trick led Bayern to another emphatic victory in the Bundesliga
The Englishman scored his second hat-trick of the season
Bayern extended their cushion at the summit to five points
Harry Kane scored a superb hat-trick as Bayern Munich maintained their perfect Bundesliga start with a routine 4-1 victory over Hoffenheim at the PreZero Arena on Saturday.
The visitors survived an early scare in the 14th minute when Fisnik Asllani struck the post after smartly pressing Manuel Neuer's short goal-kick, though Kane forced Oliver Baumann into a crucial save just two minutes later, hinting at what was to come.
It was 17-year-old Lennart Karl who then orchestrated the Bavarians' breakthrough, sending a low cross from a routine corner to Kane at the near post, registering his maiden Bundesliga assist.
Muhammed Damar nearly dragged the hosts level deep into first-half stoppage time only to be denied by a heroic Kim Min Jae block.
Bayern were handed a golden opportunity to double their lead less than a minute into the second half as Sacha Boey's shot from range struck Albian Hajdari's hand inside the box, and Kane made no mistake from the spot as he coolly rifled his penalty past a diving Baumann.
Michael Olise was then dragged down inside the box by Bernardo, allowing Kane to complete his second hat-trick of the season by sending Baumann the other way in the 77th minute.
Hoffenheim fought back and earned a consolation goal through Vladimir Coufal, whose wide free-kick in the 82nd minute was deflected past Neuer and into the net by Joshua Kimmich.
Serge Gnabry added further gloss in stoppage time, rounding off a comprehensive win by tapping home Kimmich's rebounded shot from a tight angle.
The win sees Bayern extend their cushion at the summit to five points, while Hoffenheim drop down to eighth place.
Data Debrief: Kane the hat-trick hero
Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season, having also bagged three against RB Leipzig in Bayern's curtain raiser back in August, and he became the first player in Bundesliga history to convert all of his first 17 penalties.
Thanks to his clinical finishing and composure from the penalty spot, Bayern ended the match with an impressive 2.9 xG, compared to Hoffenheim's modest 0.94.
Karl, meanwhile, became the second-youngest player to start a Bundesliga match for Bayern, at 17 years and 210 days, behind Mathys Tel (17y 136d).
And he certainly made his mark, setting up Bayern's opener. The Bavarians have scored 18 goals in the first four games of this Bundesliga season, a new record in the first four games of a season in the competition.
