Bayer Leverkusen produced a commanding 4-1 win over RB Leipzig to end the visitors’ five-match league winning streak and move themselves into the Bundesliga top four with only two games left in the season.
Leipzig arrived knowing a victory would all but confirm a top-four finish following earlier results in the day, and they began brightly at the BayArena.
Romulo Cardoso set the tone early, dragging an effort just wide within five minutes before seeing another attempt cleared off the line by Aleix García as Leverkusen survived an early scare.
Those missed chances proved expensive. Leverkusen struck first when Nathan Tella reacted quickly to a short goal kick inside the box and calmly squared for former Leipzig striker Patrik Schick, who finished clinically against his old club.
The hosts grew in confidence after taking the lead and nearly doubled it almost immediately.
Tella again caused problems down the flank, cutting the ball across for Schick, only for Maarten Vandevoordt to parry his close-range effort into danger before El Chadaille Bitshiabu made a crucial goal-line clearance.
Leipzig struggled to respond before halftime, although Xaver Schlager almost produced a moment of brilliance with a long-range strike that whistled just wide, leaving the goalkeeper beaten.
However, Leverkusen extended their advantage on the stroke of the break as Tella arrived unmarked to finish García’s inviting delivery and make it 2-0.
Tella continued to torment Leipzig after the restart, turning provider again as Schick was denied a second goal by Vandevoordt’s reflex save.
Leipzig’s changes from the bench failed to shift momentum, while Alejandro Grimaldo went close to adding a third with a free-kick that clipped the roof of the net.
Leverkusen eventually killed the contest late on when Schick broke through to calmly slot home his second of the afternoon.
Leipzig grabbed a late consolation through Christoph Baumgartner, but the hosts responded almost instantly, with Schick completing his hat-trick to seal a dominant victory.
The result, combined with Tiago Tomás’ late equaliser for Hoffenheim earlier in the day, means Leverkusen have won five of their last seven meetings with Leipzig and now control their own fate in the race for Champions League qualification.
For Leipzig, the defeat is a setback but not decisive, they still require just one win from their final two matches to secure a top-four finish.
