A brace from Alexander Sörloth and goals from Dani Olmo and Marcel Sabitzer helped RB Leipzig close the gap at the top to five points thanks to a comfortable 4-1 win away to Werder Bremen.

Bremen 1-4 Leipzig
Goals: 0-1 Olmo (23'), 0-2 Sörloth (32'), 0-3 Sörloth (41'), 1-3 Rashica (pen. 61'), 1-4 Sabitzer (63')

Bremen initially looked solid at the back and it took Leipzig 13 minutes to muster their first effort on goal, when Justin Kluivert fired into the side netting from Christopher Nkunku’s pass. However, the visitors remained patient as they increased the pressure on their hosts and Olmo’s goal on midway through the half was simply the confirmation of the inevitable. A combination of crisp, first-time passing involving Kevin Kampl, Sabitzer and Olmo ended with the former slipping a pass through to the latter, who curled past Jiri Pavlenka from 10 yards out. Such individual brilliance seemed to break Bremen’s resistance and Leipzig essentially put the game out of reach by half-time as Sörloth first headed in from Nkunku’s right-wing cross before prodding home after centre-back Willi Orban had burst forward down the same side of the pitch.

Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt made three changes at the break as he sought to find a way back into the game, and they soon had a foothold when Kampl was penalised for handball in the Leipzig penalty area, allowing substitute Milot Rashica to reduce the deficit from the spot. Julian Nagelsmann’s side replied just two minutes later to restore their three-goal cushion, however, as the visitors again found gaps on the left side of the Bremen defence, with Sabitzer sweeping in from Benjamin Henrich’s low cross. The onus was very much on the home side to prise open the Leipzig rearguard again but they never seriously threatened to do so; Kevin Möhwald’s speculative drive from 30 yards that sailed well wide was as close as they came. As such, the away side were able to see the result to the final whistle and move to within five points of leaders Bayern Munich, who were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Union Berlin.

Match stats

• Sörloth's brace was his first in the Bundesliga.
• The Norwegian now has four goals in his last five league games.
• Rashica's goal was his first this season (from his 31st effort on goal!), and first since Matchday 34 of last term.
• Werder have now lost each of their last four Bundesliga matches and their last three at the Weserstadion.
• Sabitzer netted his seventh Bundesliga goal of the current campaign, and third in his last six. He is now one ahead of Emil Forsberg as the team's top scorer.
• Leipzig have won their last four Bundesliga meetings with Werder.

Watch: Sörloth: "Two good crosses, two goals"

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Line-ups

Bremen: Pavlenka - Toprak (Veljkovic 46'), Moisander (c), Friedl - Gebre Selassie, Groß, Mbom (Möhwald 46'), Agu (Schmid 68') - Sargent (Osako 83'), Dinkci (Rashica 46') - Selke
Unused subs: Zetterer, Bittencourt, Gruev, Erras
Out: Augustinsson (groin), Eggestein (suspended), Füllkrug (broken toe), Plogmann (knee), Woltemade (knee)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt 

Leipzig: Gulacsi - Konate, Orban, Halstenberg (Klostermann 75') - Adams (Henrichs 46'), Sabitzer (c) (Hwang 82'), Kampl, Nkunku - Olmo (Samardzic 75'), Kluivert (Haidara 61') - Sörloth
Unused subs: Tschauner, Angelino, Forsberg, Wosz
Out: Laimer (match fitness), Mukiele (suspended), Poulsen (thigh), Szoboszlai (groin), Upamecano (suspended)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann

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