Benjamin Kalman scored the decisive goal shortly after the restart before the game took a dramatic turn when Elias Egouli both scored and was sent off in a chaotic ten minutes of the second half.
The home side got off to a perfect start, taking the lead after just four minutes. Daisuke Yokota dealt Dusseldorf an early setback by linking up brilliantly with Kolya Uden on the right before rounding several defenders and firing a powerful shot at the near post.
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After a brilliant start, Hannover adopted a more conservative approach, allowing Düsseldorf plenty of possession but little fun in the final third. The visitors struggled to defeat a well-organized home side, with the first half ending in Hannover’s narrow advantage.
Hannover doubled their lead immediately after the break, reflecting their fast start to the game. On the stroke of half-time, substitute Elias Saad struck a pinpoint cross to the far post, where in-form Kalman added his 11th goal of the season. Dusseldorf responded almost immediately, however, with Florent Muslija’s dangerous free-kick from the flank met by Egouli, who headed the ball past Nahuel Noll to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The momentum shifted again in the 58th minute as Egouli went from scorer to villain, picking up a second yellow card for tripping Noel Aseko Nkili in the penalty area. Hannover had a golden opportunity to put the game in doubt but Boris Tomiak squandered it, sending his penalty wide of the post and providing Dusseldorf with a brief lifeline.
Hannover continued to attack for the third goal. Substitute Benedikt Pickler came close to scoring more than once, but the fatal blow never came. In the end it didn’t matter as the home side easily handled the ten-man game in the closing stages to take all three points.
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The victory lifted Christian Tietz’s side into fifth place and helped erase the disappointment of last week’s defeat in Kaiserslautern. It was another frustrating afternoon for Fortuna Dusseldorf, with Markus Anfang’s side slipping to 16th place and continuing their deep relegation battle.