Timo Werner bagged his fourth Bundesliga brace of the season as RB Leipzig saw off Borussia Mönchengladbach to move within a point of their top-four rivals.

RB Leipzig 2-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Goals: 1-0 Werner (3’), 2-0 Werner (45’+1)

Just as they did last week against Hannover, Gladbach again fell behind in the opening minutes as Yussuf Poulsen, Marcel Sabitzer and Werner carved open the Borussia defence before the latter powered the ball across Yann Sommer for the opening goal. Apart from one Lars Stindl shot and a blocked Thorgan Hazard rebound, which were both saved well by Peter Gulacsi, Gladbach rarely troubled the home goal. Instead it was Leipzig on the front foot with the impressive Sabitzer at the heart of most things. However, it was Werner who struck once again as the hosts punished Gladbach on the counter, Poulsen able to run through the defence, round the on-rushing Sommer and square to the Germany international for his second of the game.

The second half started in much the same vein as the first with Sabitzer causing the Gladbach backline all sorts of problems as he forced Sommer into a low save from a driven free-kick and Oscar Wendt was needed to make a block from close range after Marcel Halstenberg’s teasing cross. Gladbach boss Dieter Hecking decided to throw caution to the wind with a quarter of an hour left by replacing full-backs Michael Lang and Wendt with Raffael and Michael Cuisance. Instead Sabitzer looked to wrap up the three points after Konrad Laimer’s barnstorming run, but the Austrian scuffed his chance to get the goal his performance deserved. Alassane Plea had the opportunity to get one back for the Foals late on after a long ball over the top, but Gulacsi was determined to keep his seventh clean sheet of the season, and Raffael smashed the rebound over. It’s a result that moves Leipzig above champions Bayern Munich and to within a point of Gladbach in second.

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Match stats

Leipzig are unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga this season (W5, D2). Only Gladbach (W6) and Dortmund (W6, D1) have fared better in front of their own fans.Werner is Leipzig's top scorer in 2018/19 with eight Bundesliga goals.All eight of those have been scored as braces.Werner has netted five of Leipzig’s eight goals against Gladbach.Ralf Rangnick’s side have scored a league-high six goals in the opening 10 minutes.RB have kept seven competitive clean sheets in a row at home, while Gulacsi’s seven in the Bundesliga this season is a league high.

Line-ups

Leipzig: Gulacsi – Klostermann, Konate, Upamecano, Halstenberg – Demme (c), Kampl (Ilsanker 83’) – Bruma (Laimer 69’), Sabitzer – Werner (Cunha 90’), Poulsen
Unused subs: Mvogo, Saracchi, Orban, Augustin
Absentees: Forsberg (groin), Kampl (ankle), Sabitzer (calf)
Coach: Ralf Rangnick

Gladbach: Sommer – Lang (Raffael 77’), Jantschke, Elvedi, Wendt (Cuisance 77’) – Neuhaus (Traore 60’), Strobl, Zakaria – Stindl (c), Plea, Hazard
Unused subs: Sippel, Beyer, Benes, Johnson
Absentees: Doucoure (thigh), Ginter (fractured eye socket and jaw), Johnson (cold), Kramer (ankle)
Coach: Dieter Hecking

Watch: Timo Werner praises Leipzig's attacking prowess

As it happened

Click here for the Leipzig-Gladbach match centre!