Leverkusen’s lights stayed on late on Sunday as Carles Martinez Novell’s side followed their European win with a composed 2-0 Bundesliga victory over RB Leipzig.
Key takeaways
- Bayer Leverkusen recorded back-to-back 2-0 home wins after beating NK Celje in the Europa League in midweek.
- Patrik Schick opened the scoring in the 44th minute from Miguel Gutierrez’s delivery.
- Gutierrez supplied his third assist of the campaign before scoring his first goal seven minutes after the interval.
- Former Lyon player Afonso Moreira was part of the Leverkusen team that claimed its second league win of the season.
- The result temporarily lifts Leverkusen into fifth place, while Leipzig have lost twice in four Bundesliga matches.
Gutierrez shapes Leverkusen’s response
Leverkusen had already beaten Slovenia’s NK Celje by the same scoreline on Wednesday, and they carried that momentum into the meeting with Leipzig on matchday four of the Bundesliga season.
The breakthrough arrived just before half-time. Miguel Gutierrez found Schick with a cross and the Czech forward converted in the 44th minute to give the hosts a narrow advantage at the break.
Gutiérrez then made the points safer in the 57th minute. The Spanish defender struck with his left foot for his first goal of the season, although Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt will feel he could have dealt better with the effort.
League implications after the 2-0 result
It was Leverkusen’s second Bundesliga success of the campaign and a second straight win in all competitions. The result sends Martinez Novell’s side provisionally into fifth position ahead of their next league trip to Mainz.
Leipzig, meanwhile, leave Leverkusen with a second defeat from their opening four league fixtures. Their next assignment comes after the international break, when Eintracht Frankfurt visit.
