Leverkusen Route Bayern to Heighten Title Aspirations
Bayer Leverkusen go five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after dismantling Bayern Munich.
Photo by: Sascha Schuermann
In arguably one of the biggest league games in recent history, Leverkusen thrashed Bayern as they continue their quest to win their first ever Bundesliga title.
Goals by Josip Stanisic, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Jeremie Frimpong led Leverkusen to a 3-0 victory over the 11-time defending Bundesliga champions.
Bayer Leverkusen dominated the match from the first whistle to put a lackluster and injury riddled Bayern squad to shame. They struck quickly with Bayern loanee Josip Stanisic scoring at the 18-minute mark in the first half. Grimaldo also put a second past The Bavarians just five minutes after the restart. Second half substitute Frimpong put the icing on the cake, scoring a late goal into an empty Bayern net, after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer pushed forward on a late corner kick.
Photo by: Martin Meissner
Notable players from both sides missed the game through injury with Leverkusen missing out on Victor Boniface and Exequiel Palacios, and Bayern missing out on the likes of Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies, and Konrad Laimer.
All things considered, Bayern never looked comfortable on the pitch and questions will be asked of manager Thomas Tuchel. Though his options were limited, his starting lineup drew much criticism.
Photo by: Rene Nijhuis
Tuchel started with a back three of Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-Jae and Eric Dier, a trio that had never played with each other before. Upamecano just returned from an injury and Min-Jae recently returned from international duty with South Korea. Dier, who was loaned in a month ago, had not played with either prior to this game.
Sacha Boey made his first Bayern start in this game while Raphaël Guerreiro and Matthijs De Ligt both started on the bench.
In the attack, Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane were all kept quiet throughout the match with Thomas Muller, who has fallen out of favor under Tuchel, was also kept out of the lineup. Bayern managed just one shot on target and never looked threatening in front of Leverkusen’s goal. This will go down as one of their ugliest performances of the season.
Photo by: Lars Baron
Xabi Alonso, a former Bayern player, has done a tremendous job in his first season as Leverkusen’s manager, but the job still isn’t finished. They have done the hard work by beating Bayern Munich but still only hold a five-point advantage at the top of the table. Leverkusen stand at 55 points after the win, keeping Bayern stuck on 50 points.
Leverkusen is the only team among Europe’s top five leagues yet to suffer a loss. They are currently on a 31-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, only one away from equaling Bayern’s record of 32 set in the 2019 to 2020 season. They will travel to Heidenheim next Saturday.
As for Bayern, they no longer have control over their own destiny but must continue to put pressure on Leverkusen to have any hope of clinching a 12th consecutive Bundesliga crown. They will look to bounce back away at VFL Bochum on Sunday after a mid-week contest in the UEFA Champions League against Lazio, in the round of 16.
Bayer Leverkusen could become the first team to win the Bundesliga since 2012, not named Bayern Munich.
