Bayer Leverkusen 1-5 Bayern Munich: 5 talking points as first-half blitz propels holders back to the top

Bayer Leverkusen 1-5 Bayern Munich: 5 talking points as first-half blitz propels holders back to the top | Bundesliga 2021-22

By Shubham Dupare

Modified Oct 17, 2021 16:49 GMT

Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Bayern München - Bundesliga

#3 Robert Lewandowski ends two-game Bundesliga scoreless run in style

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Bayern Munich to end his two-game Bundesliga scoring duck.

The way he celebrated the goal indicated how much the strike meant to him. The Polish striker had drawn blanks in the 1-2 defeat to Frankfurt and the 3-1 win against Greuther Furth. He was also overtaken by Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland in the scoring charts.

Lewandowski had failed to score in two FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying fixtures with Poland as well. So his performance against Bayer Leverkusen, who were level with Bayern Munich in the league table before the game, was key.

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The Bayern Munich goal-machine scored twice in 30 minutes, and did not show any signs of fatigue from his participation in the international break. The brace helped him join Haaland at the top of the goalscoring charts, with nine goals.

#2 Bayer Leverkusen lose the midfield battle

Bayer Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, knowing fully well he did not have any fit defensive midfielder for the game.

He started Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri in front of a four-man defence. While Demirbay is a creative midfielder, Amiri is an attacking midfielder. The duo stood no match for the Bayern Munich midfield duo of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

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It was Kimmich who bossed the midfield with an all-around performance. He created more key passes than anyone else on the pitch (6) while also making more interceptions (4) than any other player.

In the absence of the injured Charles Aranguiz, Leverkusen were overrun in midfield and never recovered.

#1 Bayern Munich return to top of the table with a commanding display

Bayern Munich displayed the champions' mentality against Leverkusen after a close defeat in their previous outing. In the process, they returned to winning ways with a statement victory.

The visitors always looked in control of the game. Bayern made the most of their possession to record as many as 27 goal attempts, with 11 of them on target. Though they did not score in the second half, the damage was already done in the first as a five-goal lead eventually proved insurmountable for Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich are a point ahead of Borussia Dortmund in the standings. They are now the top-scoring side across Europe's top five leagues.

Edited by Bhargav