Leverkusen boost title defence with 3-1 win over Monchengladbach

Bayer Leverkusen kept their Bundesliga title hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach at the BayArena on Saturday.

The hosts began the match at full throttle and broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute through German midfielder Florian Wirtz, who made a brilliant run on the left flank before slotting the ball past ‘Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas.

In control of the game, Xabi Alonso’s men doubled their lead moments after the hour mark through Wirtz, who converted calmly from 12 yards after Julian Weigl committed a handball inside the box.

Czech forward Patrik Schick made it 3-0 after latching onto a clever dink by Wirtz in the 74th minute, while the visitors pulled one back deep into injury time through the in-form Tim Kleindiendst.

An eighth consecutive league win leaves the Bundesliga champions second on the table with 41 points — four adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, who registered a hard-fought 3-2 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a third consecutive defeat leaves Monchengladbach 11th on the table with 24 points.

Speaking after the match, Alonso praised his side for showing patience and maturity.

“It was tough to get this result,” the Leverkusen manager said.

“We had good control and patience and we played a mature game.”

The Spanish tactician also commended Wirtz for his impressive showing.

“I am very satisfied with his (Wirtz’s) performance,” he said.

“He had a top, top impact on the game. His mentality is top. He always wants to play, to win and have fun on the pitch and you can see that.”

According to Monchengladbach head coach Gerardo Seoane, individual brilliance made the difference for Leverkusen.

“Leverkusen and Bayern are currently the measure of all things in the Bundesliga,” he said.

“In the end, you could see that their individual quality is extremely high. It is difficult to get a grip over the 90 minutes.

“We also made one or two mistakes, small details that make the difference against top teams.”

Borussia Monchengladbach will be in Bundesliga action next Saturday, where they are -135.14 favourites with leading bookie Bovada for their clash against VfL Bochum (+333).

Bayer Leverkusen will be on the road on Tuesday in the Champions League, and top soccer bookmakers have them as slight outsiders at +190 to defeat Atletico Madrid (+137).

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