Leipzig retain top spot as Coutinho nets for Bayern

Berlin, Sept. 22: RB Leipzig stayed top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 3-0 win at Werder Bremen while Philippe Coutinho scored his first Bayern Munich goal as the defending champions climbed to second with a 4-0 rout of Cologne.

Bayern briefly had topped the table thanks to the win at the Allianz Arena before Leipzig replaced them despite finishing with 10 men in Bremen.

A first-half header by defender Willi Orban and a stunning free-kick by playmaker Marcel Sabitzer saw Leipzig go 2-0 up before midfielder Konrad Laimer was sent off for a second yellow card with 26 minutes remaining.

Leipzig made light of being a man down when they grabbed a late third when Marcelo Saracchi scored his first goal since joining from Copa Libertadores winners River Plate.

“We’re satisfied, it was a dominant display, we didn’t let anything through. That was a very decent performance,” Leipzig’s managing director Oliver Mintzlaff told Sky.

Earlier Poland star striker Robert Lewandowski put Bayern ahead after just 150 seconds after Joshua Kimmich split the Cologne defence.

He then doubled the hosts’ lead with a header from a corner at the start of the season half to take his league tally to nine in five games.

Coutinho, on loan from Barcelona, converted a penalty on the hour at the second attempt, after Lewandowski gave the Brazilian the chance despite being on a hattrick. Coutinho then set up Ivan Perisic to slot the final goal on 73 minutes as Bayern climbed from fourth.