Batten down the hatches, Bayer Leverkusen are blasting their way up the Bundesliga standings, scoring a barrelful of goals as they go and Leon Bailey bringing the good vibes.
Die Wekself walloped home a whopping five in one half for only the second time in their history as they came from behind to maul Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-1 on Matchday 9. Sven Bender, Leon Bailey, Julian Brandt, Kevin Volland and Joel Pohjanpalo were all on target in Bayer’s biggest triumph of the campaign, and their first away win this season. Kai Havertz was also a crucial component in the come-from-behind success, the 18-year-old providing three assists as Heiko Herrlich’s second-half tactical change came up trumps.
@jonathantah_ gets trapped in a Bender sandwich as @bayer04fussball run riot!
"The first half was brutal, we were never in the game and were collectively relieved to hear the half-time whistle,” was goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s honest assessment of an opening 45 minutes in which Fabian Johnson had put the Foals ahead.
Yet with the introduction of Brandt at the break and an altered formation that saw Volland positioned to a central striking role and Bailey moved from left to right, Leverkusen bewildered their opponents with blistering pace and outstanding efficiency in front of goal.
“We were more compact, often even a little deeper,” defender Jonathan Tah remarked. Volland – who registered his fifth goal of the campaign in the rout – described his side as, “merciless.” “In the second-half we started in a frenzied fashion and scored from almost every chance we created,” coach Herrlich added, describing the win as, “very pleasing.”
Watch: There's never a dull moment with Leon Bailey on board at Bayer Leverkusen!
Leverkusen have now scored at least once in their last 14 games, yet the numbers have risen exponentially as 2017/18 has advanced. Saturday’s win took Die Werkself’s tally to eleven goals in their previous four encounters. Indeed, Herrlich’s team are the third-highest scorers in the Bundesliga this season, their 20 strikes trailing only the totals of co-leaders Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. As many as 12 different players have found the net in nine top-flight matches this term as Leverkusen continue to recover from a slow start that yielded just one point in three opening Bundesliga matches.
These two ran the show