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Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich took another huge step towards their ninth consecutive league title as they beat RB Leipzig 1-0 at the Red Bull Arena on Sunday night.
Leon Goretzka scored the game's only goal in the 38th minute after a perfect long ball from Joshua Kimmich found Thomas Muller in the box, who cut the ball back for the midfielder to smash it home. Bayern's victory saw them increase their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to seven points.
Leipzig dominated the second half but failed to convert their chances and now see themselves trailing the champions by seven points with just seven games left in the campaign. This was the first instance this season where Bayern finished a game with lesser possession and fewer shots than the opposing team.
Let's take a look at the top five talking points from the game.
#1 The intensity matches the hype of the encounter
The game had a delayed start due to some issues with one of the goalposts, but the first quarter of the game made up for the initial setback.
Leipzig's extortionate amount of pressing in the final third and quick counter-attacks put Bayern under pressure in the opening exchanges. But their defense and midfield stuck to their jobs to maintain parity on the scoresheet.
The game was intense throughout the ninety minutes and the scoreline certainly didn't do much justice to the match.
#2 Leon Goretzka's goal sets a new Bundesliga record
Thomas Muller didn't shy away from praising Leon Goretzka over the past week as he delineated the German midfielder's importance in the absence of goal-machine Robert Lewandowski. "Instead of Lewangoalski, now we have Leon Scoretzka!" exclaimed Muller in an interview with the Bundesliga website on Friday.
As destiny would have it, it was Muller who provided the assist for Goretzka's assured strike in the 38th minute. With that goal, Bayern Munich set a new Bundesliga record of 62 consecutive games with a goal in the German top flight.
Goretzka's goal was his fifth of the season. He now has 10 goal contributions in 21 appearances in the Bundesliga this season.
#3 Leipzig put up a massive second-half show but to no avail
Though down by a goal, Leipzig looked the more confident side in the second half as they took the game to Bayern. The visitors conceded eight shots on goal in the first twenty minutes of the second half but kept their clean sheet intact.
Substitute Justin Kluivert, who replaced Emil Forsberg at half-time, was terrific for Leipzig in the second half. The Dutchman completed more take-one (4) than any other player on the pitch despite playing just 45 minutes.
Despite dominating possession and creating some good openings, Leipzig couldn't score past Manuel Neuer, who denied the home side a goal with a couple of brilliant saves. Leipzig simply weren't clinical enough in front of goal and are left to ponder the chances they missed in the game.
#4 Bayern's experienced back-line wins the game
An hour into the game, it was evident that Bayern's defense would make or break the game for them.
The visitors had a lot of defending to do in the second half and more importantly had to wait for their moment to attack as possession was scarce. Despite facing 14 shots on goal, Bayern's experienced defense ensured the champions kept their clean sheet intact.
Bayern's defenders had plenty of help from Manuel Neuer, who kept the defensive structure in place. The club captain was constantly shouting instructions at his teammates and also slotted in as an outfielder between the two centre-backs when Bayern had possession to help beat the Leipzig press.
#5 Leipzig could win the Bundesliga next season
There is no shred of doubt that Leipzig displayed glimpses of a title-challenging side on Saturday night. In fact, they might have played even better than Bayern Munich on the night. But Bayern's superior squad and big-game experience came through in the end.
If Leipzig can sign a couple of match-winners and retain Julian Nagelsmann as head coach next season, we might just see the end of Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga. The likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, though, have shown how difficult it is to contend and keep pace with Bayern Munich.
Nevertheless, with a seven-point gap between them and Bayern at the top, Leipzig are bound to fight until the end.
