Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said his team were reckless to allow 10-man Werder Bremen back in the game, though his side eventually came out on top in a 2-1 win.
Andre Schurrle's early goal had Dortmund on top and things looked to get better as Bremen's Jaroslav Drobny was sent off on 38 minutes.
But instead Fin Bartels equalised for Dortmund before the hour mark, and BVB needed Lukasz Piszczek to find a winner, and Tuchel told Sky the game was closer than it should have been.
"We started very well, but we missed chances in the first 15 minutes to score the second goal," Tuchel said. "Then we recklessly allowed Bremen back into the game. The match was then completely open.
"We missed a number of chances and we were sluggish in the rest of the game, which has really annoyed me."
Dortmund returned to the top four with the victory, though they still trail leaders Bayern Munich by 12 points.
However, Tuchel was pleased that his side were able to secure a result away from home without striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is on international duty.
"The joy of the victory prevailed," Tuchel said. "Perhaps we need more success stories of this kind in order to bring back the easiness again."
Schurrle scored his first goal in the Bundesliga while starting up top in place of Aubameyang.
"Yes, there was a rather long wait leading up to my first Bundesliga goal for BVB," he told the club's website. "Of course it feels good. The position is a good fit for me, I feel extremely comfortable there.
"The fact I've finally got the goal gives me a good feeling. I've got my fitness, my mental strength back. All of that does me good."