Bayern Munich defeated Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 on Sunday to reclaim first place on the Bundesliga table. Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry each scored twice. Bayern Munich produced a statement win by scoring four goals in seven minutes to leave Leverkusen in shreds before halftime, demonstrating why it is pursuing a 10th consecutive title and proving that it has recovered from a very rare setback to Eintracht Frankfurt last time out.
With a touch of class from Lewandowski, Bayern took the lead in less than four minutes. On the touchline, Dayot Upamecano collected an over hit free kick and crossed it low for Lewandowski to score with a backheel. Lewandowski wasted no time in putting a stop to a two-game goal drought. Due to his prolific goal scoring performances, the Poland striker had his poorest Bundesliga run since 2019. In the 30th minute, Alphonso Davies weaved his way into the Leverkusen penalty area to build up the second goal before laying the ball off for Lewandowski to score as Leverkusen came crashing down.
Five first-half goals were the difference here. It's a big W to put us 🔝 of the table 💪 #B04FCB #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/5bmicJerQW
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 17, 2021
In the 34th minute, Thomas Müller scored the third goal after Niklas Süle’s strike bounced off his thigh and into the net. Gnabry scored from a Müller cross only seconds after the restart as Leverkusen’s offside trap failed. Then, in the 37th minute, Gnabry scored his fifth goal, this time after combining with Leon Goretzka, as a once-close game quickly devolved into a disgrace.
Bayern had been knocked out of first place in the Bundesliga when Borussia Dortmund beat Mainz 3-1 the day before. Bayern’s only setback under Julian Nagelsmann, a 2-1 loss to Frankfurt on Oct. 3, was mostly due to Kevin Trapp’s outstanding goalkeeping performance, and gave no meaningful template to would-be rivals. Leverkusen ended up at third place after the match. New manager, Julian Nagelsmann was expected to struggle against Leverkusen, but he proved that his team is made of much sterner stuff. They will now look forward to the Champions League match against Benfica, who will be confident after defeating Barcelona 3-0 in their last match.
