Leipzig down Hertha to knock Bayern from top

LEIPZIG, Germany: RB Leipzig knocked Bayern Munich, who they meet in five days’ time, off the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 2- 0 win at home to Hertha Berlin.

With Bayern at bottom side Darmstadt on Sunday, Leipzig took their chance to reclaim top spot with a convincing win at their sold-out Red Bull Arena.

Leipzig, who had led for three weeks before last Saturday, are now three points clear.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s Munich can regain top spot due to their superior goal difference by beating Darmstadt, ahead of Wednesday’s mouth- watering clash against Leipzig at the Allianz Arena.

Goals either side of the break by striker Timo Werner and burly centre- back and captain Willi Orban sealed Leipzig’s win.

It put RB back on track after last Saturday’s shock 1- 0 defeat at Ingolstadt which ended their 13-match unbeaten run – a record for a team at the start of their first Bundesliga season.

“I said after the ( Ingolstadt)

I said after the (Ingolstadt) defeat that I wanted to see a reaction and my team didn’t disappoint. We showed what we wanted from the first second. Ralph Hasenhuettl, Leipzig coach

defeat that I wanted to see a reaction and my team didn’t disappoint. We showed what we wanted from the first second,” said Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Leipzig used their 64 percent possession to create 16 shots to Hertha’s three and made nearly twice as many passes.

Pal Dardai’s Berlin drop to fourth after the defeat.

“Leipzig were a bit too quick for us,” admitted the Berlin coach.

RB went ahead when Guinea midfielder Naby Keita, who later went off with a leg injury and is set to miss the Bayern game, played Werner into the box to dart between two defenders and slot home on 41 minutes.

It was the ninth goal in 15 games for RB’s top scorer.

Werner has been working with the club’s psychologist having been booed by Ingolstadt fans every time he got the ball.

That had been the 20-year- old’s first appearance since winning a penalty in the 2-1 win over Schalke a fortnight ago with what the club later admitted was a dive.

Werner was shown a yellow against Hertha for play- acting when he went to the turf after being blocked by Berlin’s centre- back Jens Hegeler on 59 minutes.

Leipzig sealed the win on 62 minutes when Orban got on the end of Emil Forsberg’s corner kick and powered his header home, giving Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein little chance.

Orban looked to have claimed his second on 78 minutes, but the linesman flagged with three Leipzig players offside. — AFP