VfB Stuttgart strengthened their grip on a top-four spot in the Bundesliga after edging RB Leipzig 1–0 at the MHPArena, moving three points clear of their rivals.
The victory was also Stuttgart’s first against a team that began the round inside the league’s top five after failing in their previous four attempts.
Stuttgart nearly made a flying start inside five minutes when Yan Diomande showcased his pace to surge past Ramon Hendriks before attempting to square the ball for Romulo, but the Brazilian could not get the decisive touch.
Despite that early scare, Leipzig looked the more threatening side for much of the opening half-hour.
Stuttgart still managed a promising opportunity when Ermedin Demirovic aimed for the far corner, only for his effort to take a deflection and drift wide.
Both teams continued to search for the breakthrough as half-time approached. Christoph Baumgartner found space in the box after receiving a pass but fired his effort over the bar.
Stuttgart nearly snatched the lead moments before the interval when Chris Fuhrich rolled a free-kick into the path of Jamie Leweling, whose low strike forced a sharp save from Maarten Vandevoordt.
The second half began at a frantic pace with goalkeepers at both ends called into action within minutes. Nicolas Seiwald’s close-range header was brilliantly kept out on the line by Alexander Nubel, before Angelo Stiller cleared the danger.
Stuttgart immediately countered, with Deniz Undav dispossessing Seiwald and forcing Vandevoordt into another diving save.
However, Leipzig’s goalkeeper would soon undo his earlier heroics. In the 56th minute, Vandevoordt’s attempted pass out from the back fell straight to Fuhrich, who quickly slipped the ball to Undav.
The striker made no mistake, calmly slotting home what proved to be the decisive goal.
Undav nearly doubled the lead shortly after the hour mark, but alert defending from Willi Orban denied him a second strike.
Leipzig pushed for an equaliser late on and came close 10 minutes from time when Brajan Gruda flicked a header into the path of Johan Bakayoko, though the Belgian could not direct his effort on target from close range.
Orban then rattled the post with a glancing header deep into stoppage time, but Stuttgart held firm to secure the narrow victory.
The result not only widens the gap between Stuttgart and Leipzig in the race for Champions League places but also takes the Swabians past their total wins from the 2024/25 campaign.
Meanwhile, Leipzig’s struggles on the road continue, as they remain without back-to-back away league victories since September 2025.
