Rose’s revenge as Leipzig beats Dortmund, Bayern held again but fall short at home
Pep Guardiola’s team made it back to third in the Bundesliga with a thrilling 5-4 win at rivals Schalke on Saturday.
On the day Guardiola became the first manager in Premier League history to win 20 games in a row, Bayern were held at home by the Leipzig side with a 2-2 draw.
Bayern were the better side for much of the game but struggled to match the pace of the champions and were forced on to the break a number of times. The first came in the 17th minute when Leipzig doubled their advantage when Marcel Schmelzer’s well-driven shot flew past Manuel Neuer.
Leipzig’s equaliser came in the 74th minute when Leon Goretzka pulled one back. Bayern were ahead for all of 15 minutes of the second half and could have snatched all three points when Sebastian Rudy headed home the rebound from a close-range header by Ilkay Gündogan.
Bayern were denied a second goal when Leipzig defender David Alaba picked up the ball in the Bayern box and fired past Neuer.
Bayern had the better chances in the second half, but were frustrated by a weak defence and sloppy finishing which meant they had so far to go.
Bayern Munich are top, but their challenge seems set to be an uphill one as they visit struggling FC Munich.
Schalke are in third place, just one point above Bayern, and were held to a goalless draw at FC Augsburg. The 2-2 scoreline was the result of a bizarre and nervy situation at the end of the game, where a late penalty was awarded to Augsburg by the referee but was later rescinded as the goal was deemed offside by the VAR.
In the top-of-the-table clash between the Bundesliga’s two top teams, Dortmund continued their form from last week where they thrashed Hannover 3-0.