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Bayer Leverkusen secured a vital 3-1 win over defending champions Bayern Munich, with Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland and Lucas Alario getting on the score sheet.
The visitors failed to reduce the gap between themselves and Borussia Dortmund, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The game took some time to get going as both sides were sloppy in possession and lacked the required composure to get on the front foot.
Bayern had their first real chance in the 13th minute when Robert Lewandowski's effort was well blocked by Sven Bender. The former Dortmund man made yet another goal-saving interception in the 15th minute, thwarting Thomas Muller from close range.
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Bayern took the lead four minutes from the interval when Leon Goretzka headed in from Thomas Muller's cross.
Leverkusen hit back in the 53rd minute after Leon Bailey stepped up and curled a sensational free-kick past Sven Ulreich. The hosts lead in the 63rd minute when Volland scored from Bellarabi's pass.
Leverkusen secured all three points in the 88th minute as they hit Bayern on the counter, a move which was finished off by Lucas Alario. On that note, let us take a look at the five talking points from the clash at the BayArena.
#5 An improved second-half display guides Leverkusen to win
Peter Bosz's side started the game in bright fashion as they pressed Bayern from the word go and did not allow the visitors to have enough time to dictate the game.
The defending champions caused Leverkusen problems down the left flank as Coman made some brilliant runs behind Weiser, who's positioning was questionable in the first half.
Leverkusen were slightly sloppy in possession and while playing out from the back, falling behind through Goretzka's header in the 41st minute.
Despite trailing Bayern at the interval, Leverkusen improved in the second half where they were organised in defence and composed in possession. The home side hit back in the 53rd minute through Leon Bailey's magnificent free kick.
Since the equaliser, Leverkusen contained the likes of Kimmich and Goretzka in midfield and their Center Backs: Tah and Bender marshalled Lewandowski to great effect.
The full backs kept Coman and Muller relatively quiet and found the right balance offensively and defensively.
Relentless pressing from Volland and Aranguiz forced Bayern to surrender position in vital areas of the pitch and were duly punished by a ruthless Leverkusen side, who took the lead through Kevin Volland in the 63rd minute.
On the other hand, Leverkusen defended well and snuffed out a flurry of Bayern attacks in the final quarter of the game.
Die Werkself put the game to bed three minutes from time as they caught Bayern on the break and took advantage of some sloppy organisation when Lucas Alario rounded off a beautiful counter.
Overall, a much overall second half display from the hosts helped them achieve victory over second placed Bayern, who find themselves seven points behind Borussia Dortmund.
#4 Bayern fail to put the game to bed after taking the lead
Niko Kovac started with a back four comprising of Rafinha, Sule, Hummels and Alaba, who were protected by the midfield duo of Kimmich and Goretzka.
Lewandowski lead the line with Rodriguez, Muller and Coman acting rounding up the front four.
Bayern started the game slowly as they were stifled by Leverkusen's counter press, but still created quite a few chances for themselves in the first half. Their first chance fell to Robert Lewandowski, whose attempt was blocked by Sven Bender in the 13th minute.
Bender put in another goal-saving tackle, a few minutes after Bayern's first attempt, when he prevented Muller from tapping home from close range.
The defending champions showcased some neat football, played in between the lines and caused Leverkusen a few problems down the wings.
They deservedly got the breakthrough in the 41st minute through Leon Goretzka's header, but could not put the game to bed after scoring first.
On the stroke of half time, Lewandowski seemingly doubled Bayern's lead but was adjudged to be offside during the build-up, by VAR.
After the restart, Bayern could not take control and heap more misery on Leverkusen, who ran out 3-1 winners on the day.
Bayern's main problem was their tendency to play the extra pass on occasions when a shot at goal would have yielded better results. The lack of ruthlessness was Bayern's downfall in their 1-3 loss to Leverkusen
#3 Volland and Brandt shine
Kevin Volland put in an outstanding performance in Leverkusen's 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich.
The German international worked hard throughout the game and did not let allow Bayern's midfielders to have enough time on the ball, which resulted in them giving away possession cheaply in vital areas of the pitch.
He tracked back at every opportunity and helped his side defensively and made some important blocks and interceptions.
In an improved second-half display from Leverkusen's attack, Volland linked up well with Bellarabi and Bailey, causing all sorts of problems for the Bayern rearguard, who were caught out of position while chasing the game.
Volland gave his side the lead in the 63rd minute after slotting in Bellarabi's assist past an onrushing Ulreich.
On the other hand, Julian Brandt put in a man of the match display against Bayern and played a vital role in all three Leverkusen goals.
Brandt showcased some neat footwork and kept maintained the game's flow with his neat passing and interplay in midfield.
In the build-up to Leverkusen's first goal, Brandt was brought down by Kimmich after the latter failed to control a high ball.
The ensuing free kick was expertly dispatched by Leon Bailey, who scored his second Bundesliga goal of the season. Furthermore, it was Brandt's interception that started off the move which led to Bayern's second.
The German international turned provider for Lucas Alario in the final stages of the second half as Leverkusen ran out 3-1 winners.
Brandt was central to all three Leverkusen goals as the winger ended the game with a pass accuracy of 88%, making three key passes, 12 recoveries and winning 6/7 duels.
#2 Injuries and a lack of cohesion at the back proving to be a major concern for Bayern
Bayern Munich headed into Saturday's fixture with injuries to Manuel Neuer, Thiago Alcantara, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. Injuries to Neuer and Thiago proved costly for the Bavarians who succumbed to their fourth loss of the season.
The game's outcome could have been different had Thiago started in midfield as both Kimmich and Goretzka looked uncomfortable against Leverkusen's counter press. Bayern missed Thiago's creativity and ability to resist the opponent's press.
But, the major area of concern for Bayern is their defence which seems to concede cheap goals and get caught out of possession on numerous occasions.
Hummels and Sule started the game in bright fashion and made quite a few interceptions and blocks in the first half. On the other hand, Alaba and Rafinha were decent going forward but were susceptible defensively.
During the game against Leverkusen, Hummels was out of position in the build-up to Leverkusen's third goal, which left a huge gap in the center of the pitch, allowing Alario to have enough time to drift in and score from close range.
Bayern's mounting injury list and sloppy defending is proving to be an area of major concern for Niko Kovac, whose side face an uphill battle to retain their title and a tricky tie against Liverpool in the Champions League.
#1 VAR plays a massive role in deciding the game's outcome
The first half of the game between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen saw the visitors take the lead through Leon Goretzka. Bayern could have had more goals on the day but were denied by some poor decision making and VAR.
On the stroke of half time, Bayern played some wonderful attacking football when Kingsley Coman drifted centrally and put in a wonderfully weighted through ball to Robert Lewandowski who dinked the ball over Lukas Hradecky.
The Polish international was adjudged to have been marginally offside by both the linesman and the video officials.
The Bavarians failed to take control of the game and were duly punished by a Leverkusen side who capitalised on some sloppy moments in midfield and defence.
Towards the end of the game, Lucas Alario was ruled offside by the linesman after scoring his side's third goal. Later on, VAR overturned the linesman's decision which resulted in Leverkusen securing a well-deserved win over Bayern.
Had VAR not intervened, we could have seen a different result altogether, which could have resulted in Bayern reduce Dortmund's lead at the top of the table to four points.
Any hopes of a late comeback were also dashed by VAR's decision to allow Alario's goal to stand.
