Leverkusen punish wasteful RB Leipzig as Schick and Gutiérrez Deliver
Miguel Gutiérrez scored one goal and created another as Bayer Leverkusen defeated RB Leipzig 2–0 at the BayArena, with Patrik Schick continuing his impressive scoring form.
The win extended Leverkusens Sunday record in the Bundesliga to just one loss in 31 games along with 20 wins and 10 draws.
Match highlight
Leipzig started better. Made Mark Flekken make two important early saves. Neil El Aynaoui controlled a free kick delivery near the edge of the penalty area before taking a shot but the Leverkusen goalkeeper reacted very well.
Two minutes later Flekken was needed again stopping Ezechiel Banzuzis strong long-range shot aimed at the bottom-left corner.
The visitors thought they had made their pressure pay in the minute. Tidiam Gomis passed the ball over Facundo Medina to set up Rômulo, whose accurate pass found Christopher Nkunku for the goal.
Their joy was short-lived however as a VAR check showed that Rômulo was offside during the play.
Leverkusen took advantage of this chance before the break. Gutiérrez sent a pass from the left and Schick arrived to score and send the home team into the break with the lead.
After winning once in their last five league matches Leverkusen still had to deal with the nerves at the BayArena.
Gutiérrez gave the reply ten minutes into the second half. Taking advantage of a failed clearance outside the penalty area he shot precisely into the bottom-left corner leaving Maarten Vandevoordt helpless and giving the hosts a strong position.
Schick should have scored his second after the hour. A pass split the defense. Sent him through but his shot was too close to Vandevoordt, who made the save.
The Czech player later was replaced by Christian Kofane, who almost made an impact by heading just wide from a Moussa Diaby pass. Ibrahim Maza also had a shot from distance but a defender was there near the post.
Those chances didn't matter much as Leverkusen easily kept their two-goal lead getting a sheet against a Leipzig team that came into the weekend as the second-highest scorers in the Bundesliga.
The result means Leverkusen now has one loss in their last ten home league games. Leipzig on the hand didn't keep up after their good start and had to regret their missed chances although they are still in the race, for a top-four spot.
