Debutant Montrell Culbreath seals win as Bayer Leverkusen come from behind to end Leipzig's perfect home record
Patrik Schick was on target again before 18-year-old Montrell Culbreath sealed the win on his first Bundesliga appearance as Bayer Leverkusen moved up to third with a polished away performance.
RB Leipzig 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 1-0 Schlager 35' (assist: Baumgartner), 1-1 Terrier 40' (assist: Arthur), 1-2 Schick 44' (assist: Tella), 1-3 Cullbreath 90+7'
Two attack-minded teams promised a spectacle at the Red Bull Arena, with RB Leipzig putting their perfect home record on the line against a Bayer Leverkusen side looking to continue their momentum following a Rhine derby victory over Cologne.
Leverkusen quickfire comeback
The match began at a frenetic pace with both sides exchanging early chances. Jonas Hofmann set up Patrik Schick with a brilliant through ball in the sixth minute, but Péter Gulácsi made a crucial save for Leipzig. The hosts responded through Conrad Harder, whose shot was comfortably saved by Mark Flekken. As the half progressed, both sides continued to create openings, with Willi Orbán missing a golden opportunity when he headed straight at Flekken from a David Raum free-kick.
The breakthrough finally came in the 35th minute when Xaver Schlager received the ball from a throw-in taken by Christoph Baumgartner, weaved his way through the Leverkusen defence and fired a precise shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. The lead lasted just five minutes, however, as Martin Terrier met Arthur's cross with a well-placed header to equalise for the visitors. Leverkusen completed their turnaround just before half-time when Nathan Tella slipped a pass through to Schick, who brilliantly evaded Kosta Nedeljkovic before smashing his finish past Gulácsi.
Leipzig press but Culbreath seals victory
Ole Werner's side came out strongly after the interval, with Tidiam Gomis, Baumgartner and Harder all having efforts in the opening minutes of the second half. The hosts continued to push for an equaliser, with their best chance falling to Harder in the 54th minute, but his effort was expertly saved by Flekken. As the match progressed, Leverkusen grew more comfortable defending their lead.
The visitors made a triple substitution in the 77th minute, with 18-year-old Montrell Culbreath making his Bundesliga debut as one of the changes. Leipzig kept pressing but could not find a way through Leverkusen's resolute defence. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Culbreath capitalised on a defensive error by Raum, racing clear and coolly slotting past Gulácsi to score on his debut and seal a 3-1 victory that lifted Leverkusen above Leipzig into third place.
Man of the Match: Patrik Schick
The Czech striker delivered a match-winning performance for Leverkusen, scoring the crucial goal that put his side 2-1 ahead just before half-time. His clinical finish demonstrated his predatory instincts as he first deceived Nedeljkovic with a smart drag-back before rifling the ball into the net. Schick's goal was his 80th in the Bundesliga, matching Harry Kane's tally. Beyond his goal, Schick was a constant threat throughout, registering four shots in total, the most of any Leverkusen player, and providing a crucial focal point for the visitors' attack before being substituted in the 77th minute.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: RB Leipzig 2.26 - Bayer Leverkusen 2.84
Fastest player: Ridle Baku (Leipzig), 33.9 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Xaver Schlager (Leipzig), 7 percent
Most pressed player: Conrad Harder (Leipzig), 23 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Malik Tillman (Leverkusen), +4.38
Fantasy Heroes: Xaver Schlager (Leipzig, 321 Points), Christoph Baumgartner (Leipzig, 293 Points), Mark Flekken (Leverkusen, 302 Points)
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