Irresistible Reds down bold Leverkusen

FC Bayern beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 on Saturday afternoon, sealing their ninth straight victory. Lucas Alario put the Rhineland side in front, but Bayern turned the tide, with Kingsley Coman, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry finding the net in a highly entertaining first half. Robert Lewandowski added gloss to the scoreline after the restart, scoring his 30th goal so far this campaign, before Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz netted in the closing stages.

The Bavarians, wearing special armbands to support the Black Lives Matter movement, started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Benjamin Pavard, Jérôme Boateng, David Alaba and Alphonso Davies in a back four. Joshua Kimmich and Goretzka featured in a twin holding role behind Coman, Thomas Müller and Gnabry, with hitman Lewandowski up front. Ivan Perišić, Javi Martínez, Thiago and Lucas Hernández came on for Coman, Goretzka, Gnabry and Davies in the second half.

Reds bounce back

Both sides served up a breathless opening with chances at either end, and the hosts opened the scoring when Julian Baumgartlinger set up Lucas Alario, who slot past Neuer. A Goretzka header warmed the gloves of keeper Lukas Hradecky, Kimmich seeing an effort blocked before Coman was ruled offside.

Bayern were increasingly dominant and levelled the scores when Goretzka's pinpoint pass found the charging Coman, who curled past Hradecky. Kimmich saw a free-kick saved and Lewandowski fired wide, but Bayern went ahead when Goretzka crashed home from 20 yards. Gnabry soon had only Hradecky to beat and saw his effort denied, but he atoned for it when he latched onto a fine Kimmich pass and found the net this time.

Lewy makes it 30

Proceedings were similar after the restart. Müller fired wide before Davies found Coman in the box, but the Frenchman's first touch let him down. Hradecky proved equal to a Müller effort, Gnabry firing over the bar. Lewandowski soon went for the jugular, heading Müller's cross past Hradecky.

Bayern eased off now, with Leverkusen looking to pull one back. Neuer denied Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz, but the latter beat him when he curled into the far corner of the net, and match official Manuel Gräfe blew for full-time.

The result takes Bayern onto 70 points from 30 matches, ten clear of Dortmund, who host Hertha Berlin in the evening. The Bavarians will be back in action on Wednesday, when they entertain Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB Cup last four.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen