Harry Kane makes the difference! England striker fires Bayern Munich to win against 10-man Augsburg as Vincent Kompany's man continue march towards Bundesliga title

Kane scored his 23rd goal of the Bundesliga season as Bayern beat Augsburg 3-1 to go nine points clear of Bayer Leverkusen ahead of their rivals' game at Heidenheim tomorrow.

Kane headed in Michael Olise's wicked cross on the hour mark to give his side the lead on what looked set to be a frustrating evening for the leaders.

The hosts had gone in front after 30 minutes when a quick free-kick caught Bayern off guard, Dimitri Giannoulis taking advantage to chest the ball inside and thrash it into the roof of the net.

Jamal Musiala converted after Leroy Sane's fine run and cross just before the break, but the game changed in the 59th minute when Cedric Zesiger received a second yellow for a challenge on Kane.

The England captain scored from the resulting attack and his side were largely comfortable from there, Sane adding gloss to the scoreline when he drilled in an injury-time third.

Kane's strike was also a notable one for the assister, Olise. The former Crystal Palace winger has now set up 10 goals in the Bundesliga this season, more than any other player, while he also hit the crossbar in what was another impressive display.

The honours go to Kane, though, who once again was the decisive figure for Bayern. The striker drew the foul from Zesiger that opened up the game for the visitors before heading into the net just a couple of minutes later, a moment from which they never looked back. Kane was even central to Bayern's efforts in seeing out the game from there, keeping the ball from Augsburg with a series of clever touches and passes.

Musiala had earlier bagged the leveller but his night came to an early end in worrying circumstances. The German international stretched to close down a clearance before going down off the ball, holding his hamstring and eventually hobbling off with the support of two physios. With a Champions league quarter-final against Inter Milan and crucial Bundesliga run-in to come, any injury to Bayern's key attacking midfielder would be a major blow.

Bayern have four days to prepare for the first leg of that Champions League tie against Inter, with Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund and then the second leg of the tie to come within the following eight days. Augsburg are next in action at Bochum next Saturday.