Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – Timo Werner netted twice as RB Leipzig climbed to third in the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach which left leaders Borussia Dortmund seven points clear.
After three straight wins, second-placed Gladbach crashed at the Red Bull Arena as Leipzig dominated with Germany striker Werner netting both goals in the first-half to leave him with eight league goals so far this season.
The result pushes defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who won 2-1 at Werder Bremen on Saturday, down from third to fourth.
The Bavarian giants will drop to fifth if Eintracht Frankfurt beat Wolfsburg at home in Sunday evening’s game.
Leipzig’s victory left Dortmund with a commanding lead in the table after their 2-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday as Paco Alcacer became the league’s top-scorer with his 10th goal after Marco Reus had converted a penalty.
On Sunday, Werner fired hosts Leipzig ahead after just three minutes when a long ball to Yussuf Poulsen put the Danish forward deep into Gladbach territory and he put Werner away.
The 22-year-old traded passes with midfielder Marcel Sabitzer before firing home across Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer for the superb opener.
Gladback’s forwards Thorgan Hazard and Lars Stindl ensured Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had a busy afternoon to keep the visitors in the game.
However, Leipzig made sure of the win when Werner finished a superb counter-attack.
He laid off the ball for Poulsen and then sprinted away with the Gladbach defence in all sorts of trouble.
Poulsen beat a defender and Sommer superbly in the Gladbach goal, but the ball ran loose in the box and Werner pounced to tuck it home just before the half-time whistle.
