( dpa ) - SV Hamburg missed the chance to go second in the Bundesliga Sunday after playing out a scoreless draw away to Nuremberg while Bayer Leverkusen cemented their grip on fourth spot with a 2-0 defeat of Hanover 96.
Hamburg went into the game against relegation-threatened Nuremberg nine points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, 2-0 winners over Karlsruhe 2-0 Saturday, and just two behind second-placed Werder Bremen, who crashed to a 6-3 defeat at champions VfB Stuttgart.
A win would have seen the gap to Bayern narrowed to six points but, instead, the visitors should have found themselves a goal down two minutes before half-time when Collin Benjamin unnecessarily brought down Peer Kluge in the area.
Luckily for Huub Stevens' side, Zvjezdan Misimovic's weak spot kick was easily saved by Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost.
Chances were also at a premium in the second half with Marco Engelhardt wasting Nuremberg's best chance of the period on 71 minutes, blasting his shot over from the edge of the area.
Leverkusen moved within a point of third spot as goals from Theofanis Gekas and Tranquillo Barnetta helped secure a 2-0 defeat of Hanover in the day's other game.
Hanover were lucky not to concede a penalty after just three minutes when Gekas' shot clearly came off the arm of Steven Cherundolo but the Greek international eventually put Leverkusen in front on the half-hour mark with a sublime chip.
Barnetta made it 2-0 with a clinical finish nine minutes later with Gekas involved in the build-up.
Michael Skibbe's side continued their domination in the second half with Bernd Schneider setting up Barnetta for what would have been the Swiss international's second of the game but Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke saved well.
A weakly-hit back pass by Arturo Vidal almost gifted Hanover a way back into the match with just over 20 minutes remaining but substitute Jan Arnold Bruggink skewed his shot narrowly wide.
The weekend results mean Bayern continue to head the standings on 50 points, with Werder on 43 and Hamburg on 42, one clear of Leverkusen.
Schalke moved fifth on 38 points after a 2-0 win at Arminia Bielefeld to end a run of three successive league defeats.
Elsewhere Saturday, VfL Wolfsburg downed bottom club Energie Cottbus 3-0, Eintracht Frankfurt drew 1-1 with Bochum, while Duisburg also drew 1-1 with fellow strugglers Hansa Rostock.
On Friday, Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 with Hertha Berlin.