Dani Olmo scored twice in two first-half minutes as RB Leipzig moved one point behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund with victory at Hoffenheim.
Spanish midfielder Olmo skipped past two defenders for his first before doubling the lead from eight yards.
Leipzig’s line-up included Germany forward Timo Werner, who is set to join Chelsea after the clubs agreed a deal.
Hoffenheim were awarded a penalty at 0-0 but it was overturned after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
In an incident-packed encounter, Werner – who has 25 Bundesliga goals this season – missed a chance to increase his tally when he fired over with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Former Everton winger Ademola Lookman also featured for Leipzig after coming on as a substitute.
Bayern Munich will wrap up an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday if they beat Borussia Monchengladbach (17:30 BST) and Borussia Dortmund lose at Fortuna Dusseldorf (14:30).