Cologne, 25 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Harry Kane raised his Bundesliga-leading tally to 18 goals to give wasteful Bayern Munich a narrow 1-0 victory at lowly Cologne and send them to the top of the table for at least one night.

England captain Kane was on target in the 20th minute, tapping home after a first attempt from attacking partner Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was cleared on the goalline.

Bayern should have won by a bigger margin, with Leroy Sane alone wasting three huge first-half chances three days after being sent off in Germany's 2-0 defeat in Austria, two of them denied by goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe.

Bayern had fewer chances in the second half but were always in control against harmless hosts and had Kingsley Coman hit the crossbar in the 78th.

"A really good game for us. Credit to all the boys for an amazing shift. It was a really important win after international break," Kane told streaming portal DAZN.

"1-0, we could have scored more in the first half but its a good victory. They defended well after the break but we were always in control. We would have loved to have scored more goals but we have the three points."

Bayern climbed to the top of the table, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen who can reclaim first place on Saturday with victory at Werder Bremen. Bayern and Bayer are the only undefeated teams in the league.

Kane's 18 goals from 12 games are double the amount the entire Cologne team has managed all season as they remain second-last after a 10th straight home defeat against Bayern.

Six months ago Bayern clinched an 11th straight title with a late 2-1 win in Cologne.