Tranquillo Barnetta scored the only goal as Schalke beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0 on Friday to move into the top three in the Bundesliga for the first time this season.
Schalke shrugged off the absence of suspended Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to add to their 1-0 win over Hanover and 1-1 draw with champions Bayern Munich since the resumption following the winter break.
They have 34 points and are four points behind second-placed Wolfsburg although Roberto di Matteo's Schalke have played a game more.
Schalke opened the scoring in the 11th minute when a perfectly-timed cross from Kevin-Prince Boateng found Swiss star Barnetta at the near post to score with his left foot.
The 29-year-old now has 29 goals in 250 Bundesliga matches.
Friday's game started 10 minutes late after a bomb threat although security forces said "there was no proof of a specific threat"
Source: AFP