Despite facing their third away fixture in just seven days, Sebastian Hoeneß’s Stuttgart side started brightly in Hamburg, dominated possession early, and created several promising chances.
But, it was Hamburg who posed the initial attacking threat, as Fabio Vieira intercepted a misplaced pass from Angelo Stiller in the fifth minute but failed to convert, sending his shot wide of Dennis Seimen’s goal.
The visitors gradually asserted themselves, with Deniz Undav meeting a delivery from Bilal El Khannouss and directing it over the crossbar with his shoulder; shortly after, Hamburg-born Ermedin Demirovic headed another cross from the Moroccan wide in the 15th minute.
Stuttgart dominated possession in the opening stages, holding over 80%, but Merlin Polzin’s side grew into the contest and nearly took the lead in the 27th minute when a corner from Miro Muheim found Sebastian Bornauw, whose header deflected off Vieira and Seimen made an impressive save.
The visitors kept the pressure on and came closest to breaking the deadlock six minutes before the interval, as a well-executed counterattack let Jamie Leweling pick out Undav in the penalty area, but the Stuttgart captain’s first-time effort hit the post.
Demirovic then saw a header denied by Daniel Heuer Fernandes, ensuring that both teams entered the interval goalless.
Yousuff Poulsen nearly scored for the hosts three minutes into the second half, striking the post following a lofted pass from David Moller Wolfe.
As in previous fixtures in Paderborn and Bratislava, Stuttgart sought to regain control early in the second half, though Hamburg had begun to gain the upper hand.
Six minutes after his earlier attempt, Poulsen came closest to scoring, his shot striking the bar after a touch from VfB goalkeeper Seimen, while less than a minute earlier, Demirovic had sent a header just inches wide.
As has been the theme of the season, the match became an end-to-end contest after Stuttgart's early dominance, with HSV looking increasingly threatening.
They had an effort in the 58th minute when Undav attempted an acrobatic volley that Heuer Fernandes denied, as the half continued at a frenetic pace and the Volksparkstadion anticipated the opening goal.
Heading into the weekend, a point would have been perfect for HSV, but they could well have sensed a missed opportunity in the second half had they not found the net.
In the 88th minute, they finally punished Stuttgart, with Muheim hammering in from range and catching Seimen off guard with a ripper, his second late strike in a week after netting against Hoffenheim last time out.
For Stuttgart, it is hard to argue that anything other than defeat was deserved. Once again, they surrendered control in the second half and struggled to get a grip as the pace increased.
Hoeneß will carry those concerns into the Atletico Madrid clash midweek, while Hamburg can celebrate their first clean sheet of the season and their second home win of the term, fully recovering from a dismal start.