Hoping to detach the unwanted tag of being the only Bundesliga side not to have accumulated a point this season, the visitors were dealt an early blow when Japanese forward Takuma Asano had to be replaced by Gerrit Holtmann after picking up an injury.
Looking to extend their bragging rights over Bochum after five consecutive home head-to-head victories, the hosts manufactured the first opening in front of goal, as Simon Terodde’s effort stung the palms of visiting goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
Amid their first spell of prolonged possession in the contest, Bochum should have been celebrating the opening goal in the 23rd minute, but harrowingly, Simon Zoller could only fire his rebound high over the top of the crossbar after Alexander Schwolow could only parry Holtmann’s first-time strike.
With half time fast approaching, Schalke were ahead in the 38th minute when Dominick Drexler exquisitely redirected the ball's trajectory into the bottom right-hand corner after Riemann had failed to keep hold of Marius Bülter’s fearsome strike on goal.
In the wake of becoming the 14th Bundesliga club to lose their first six successive matches to commence a top-flight campaign, Bochum needed only eight minutes to level the game when Zoller atoned for his earlier miss, making sure former Schalke player Philipp Hofmann’s goal-bound strike went over the line.
After being denied in the opening 45 minutes, it was Terodde’s turn to be rejected again, but this time by the crossbar, as the German striker’s venomous strike ricocheted off the crossbar.
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Nonetheless, Schalke restored their all-important advantage two minutes later when Erhan Masovic inadvertently turned Tobias Mohr’s inswinging free-kick past Riemann.
Sebastian Polter came to haunt his former employers in the 96th minute majestically rising above a statuesque Bochum defence to head beyond the grasp of Riemann, and in turn, extend his side’s unbeaten head-to-head record to six matches dating back to February 2009.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Maya Yoshida (Schalke 04)
