Klaas Jan Huntelaar claimed a double and Raul was also on target as Schalke comfortably beat Wolfsburg 4-0 at home to remain in touch with the Bundesliga leaders.
Schalke climbed to joint first in the Bundesliga as they saw off Stuttgart 3-1, while Freiburg fought their way out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Augsburg, sending the losers to the bottom of the table.
Joel Matip, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Julian Draxler were on target as Schalke recorded an impressive 3-1 win at home to Stuttgart to move level on points with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Schalke's rising star, Joel Matip, says that the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon need to look beyond their failure to reach the 2012 CAF Africa Cup of Nations and focus on a return to their former glory.
Schalke secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladblach through a second-half goal from Raul, ending their opponents unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season.
Mainz were denied their third straight win today despite a 2-0 half-time lead after Schalke mounted an impressive turnaround to claim a 4-2 win, while Hannover drew 1-1 with Hertha Berlin.
Hyundai Best Young Player Award
