Borussia Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin has demanded more consistency from his side as they look to mount a challenge to return to the Bundesliga top four during the second half of the season. 

Dortmund beat Wolfsburg 3-1 on Sunday for their first away league win of the season, which helped them climb to sixth in the table, with third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, in fourth, only two points ahead. 

Donyell Malen, Maximilian Beier and Julian Brandt scored in the victory which ended a three-game winless streak and lifted them to the last spot to qualify for European football. 

But Sahin lamented their position in the league table and urged for more consistency from his side during the remainder of the season.  

"There were a lot of ups and downs. It was hesitant and that's exactly what I keep telling the guys," Sahin told DAZN after the game at the Volkswagen Arena. 

Dortmund had only collected two points from their Bundesliga travels this season before Sunday, which was their worst return from their first six games on the road in 33 years.

The defeat of Wolfsburg was also their first away win since April 13, when they beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 and snapped an eight-match winless streak. 

"We have to learn to be consistent. The table looks better, but it would look a lot better if we'd pulled it off against Hoffenheim," the former midfielder added, referring to last week's 1-1 draw.

Dortmund finished the game with 10 men as Pascal Gross saw a red card after they had raced to a 3-0 lead in the second half.

"A 3-0 lead should give you enough confidence to see the game out comfortably," said Brandt, who returned to action after a month out injured. 

"You can criticise us [for the second-half]. It's not good, we have to play more confidently, we have to step up."

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Beier said: "We're trying to find a reset in the new year and play better. We can't aim to be sixth." 

Dortmund consistently finished in the Bundesliga top four between 2015-16 and 2022-23 before finishing fifth last season - 27 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen, who they will face next at Signal Iduna Park on 10 January.