Weary Leipzig fall at the hands of Leverkusen
Gerardo Seoane's men take the three points with a 3-1 win over RBL.
In a game that was expected to be a Sunday Topspiel, Die Werkself delivered an impressive performance to overcome RB Leipzig. Leipzig, who had to do without key figures such as Poulsen, Gulasci, Orban and Simakan, also missed the presence of head coach Jesse Marsch. Bayer on the other hand, were bolstered by the return of star striker Patrik Schick, Lucas Alario and Charles Aranguiz.
Achim Beierlorzer took charge on the sidelines for Die Roten Bullen in a behind-closed-doors game, reminding us of the games across the pandemic where the atmosphere leans towards neutrality and player conversations can often be heard.
Both Leipzig and Leverkusen featured in the Champions League and Europa League respectively in midweek, but the factory club looked the more active side as they had a goal ruled out by VAR within the 10 minute mark for offside after Diaby showed brilliant composure to finish off a quick counter.
Seoane's men carried this momentum on to open the scoring in the 21st minute, with WonderBoy Florian Wirtz showcasing the quality of his first touch yet again, getting on the end of an Exe-quisite Palacios ball and finishing past Martinez. A Jonathan Tah long ball in the 34th minute was latched onto by Diaby to score a well deserved goal.
Leipzig started the second half strongly, with Andre Silva heading the ball past Hradecky to build up for a potentially exciting close to the game. The comeback dreams were stopped in their tracks when Jeremie Frimpong re-established the 2 goal lead just two minutes later.
Leverkusen go home with three important points as they look to turn around from a wobbly patch, while Leipzig, who probably felt the midweek game in their legs, face a difficult task as they take on Union Berlin next matchday, with their squad spread thin due to the COVID-19 outbreak in their camp.