Bayern sweep aside 10-man Leipzig in top-of-the-table clash

Friday, 23 December 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Bayern Munich put upstarts RB Leipzig firmly in their place by sweeping to an emphatic 3-0 home win, with all the goals coming in the first half, in a disappointingly one-sided top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash on Wednesday.

Bayern, German champions a record 26 times, and Leipzig, playing in the top flight for the first time, went into the match level on points at the top and amid huge expectations.

Yet an anti-climactic game was effectively over as a contest in just half an hour as Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso put Bayern ahead and the visitors had Emil Forsberg shown a straight red card.

A Robert Lewandowski penalty on the stroke of halftime made it 3-0 before, mercifully for Leipzig, Bayern took their foot off the pedal.

Bayern’s win meant they reached the winter break with 39 points from 16 games, three ahead of their opponents who lost for only the second time this season. Hertha Berlin’s 2-0 win over Darmstadt took them third with 30 points.

“I’m very satisfied. We were very aggressive and quickly got the game under control,” said Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti.

His Leipzig counterpart Ralph Hasenhuettl recognised Bayern’s superiority. “That was a lesson for us and a top performance from Bayern. Our system only works when everyone is in synchrony and that wasn’t the case today.

“I’m still proud of what the team has achieved until now. You don’t get a point deducted for losing 3-0.”