Bayer Leverkusen ended their five-game winning run in the Bundesliga with an uninspiring 0-0 draw against visitors Hertha Berlin on Sunday, missing their chance to take over second place.
In-form Leverkusen, unbeaten so far this season, were favourites and would have overtaken RB Leipzig into second spot with a home win but instead are now third on 19 points, one behind Leipzig and three off leaders Bayern Munich.
"There wasn't much more in this game for us so the result is fine," Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz said. "We tried but it just was not enough. In the past we used to lose such games."
Scoring chances for the hosts were few and far between as Hertha, eager to bounce back from a 5-2 drubbing by Borussia Dortmund last week, were disciplined at the back and only rarely ventured forward.
Leverkusen's Kerim Demirbay had their best effort with a 30-metre shot in the 32nd minute.
There was equally little from the hosts after the break with Demirbay again trying his luck from distance a few times before he floated a free kick into the box in stoppage time and Lars Bender narrowly headed wide.
Hertha are in 13th place on eighth, one behind Hoffenheim who managed only a 1-1 draw against struggling Mainz 05 and stretched their winless league run to seven consecutive matches.
Hoffenheim, who needed Ihlas Bebou's 62nd-minute equaliser to cancel out Robin Quaison's first-half goal, were left with 10 men in the 80th after Dennis Geiger's dismissal with a straight red card for an intentional foul on Karim Onisiwo.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
