Bayer Leverkusen returned to the top of the Bundesliga thanks to a fighting win over Mainz at the BayArena.
Tim Hoogland put the visitors in front in the eighth minute but goals from Michal Kadlec, Tranquillo Barnetta and Toni Kroos gave Leverkusen a comfortable advantage at the break.
Niko Bungert reduced the arrears in the 67th minute but Eren Derdiyok added a fourth in the 88th minute to earn Leverkusen their first win of 2010 and move them back above Bayern Munich at the league's summit.
Just like when the sides met on the opening day of the season, it was Mainz who went ahead, and again it was Hoogland to score it in the eighth minute.
Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler was caught out by Andreas Ivanschitz's free-kick, which he could only push onto his left-hand post with the ball then bouncing out for Hoogland, who had a simple tap-in from close range.
Their lead did not last long, though, before Kadlec equalised in the 15th minute, heading in a Kroos corner at the near post.
And the home side were ahead four minutes later when Stefan Kiessling played a neat ball into the path of Barnetta who broke into the penalty area with a burst of pace and then shot past Heinz Muller into the far corner.
Kiessling should have made it three just moments later when he chased onto a weak backpass from Miroslav Karhan but he was denied from 20 yards by Muller.
Leverkusen did add a third on the half-hour mark with Kroos bagging his seventh goal of the season after a period of domination, coolly placing a volley in from 12 yards.
The game appeared to be over, but Mainz, who came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Leverkusen in August, pulled a goal back in the 67th minute.
Bungert received the ball from Chadli Amri's cross and his shot hit the inside of the right-hand upright before beating Sami Hyypia's attempted clearance to go over the line.
Leverkusen missed several chances before Derdiyok settled the nerves with a side-footed effort into the bottom corner two minutes from time.
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