Werkself continue away run with 4-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt

Head coach Xabi Alonso made five changes to his team from last weekend’s 2-0 win at Holstein Kiel as Lukas Hradecky, Mario Hermoso, Nordi Mukiele, Garcia and Tella came into the side for Matej Kovar, Piero Hincapie (suspended), Edmond Tapsoba, Robert Andrich and Amine Adli. There was also a place in the matchday squad for the first time for young Argentine striker Alejo Sarco. It didn’t take long for the chances to flow in Frankfurt as Schick turned a Garcia effort just wide. At the other end, Ekitike fired an effort over.

Three goals in seven minutes

Leverkusen were lively from the start and were able to win the ball back quickly. That pressure led to another Schick chance, this time a header from Granit Xhaka’s cross that was blocked by Arthur Theate. The breakthrough finally came just before the half-hour mark when Xhaka slipped in Tella, who turned his man and then picked out the corner with a shot across goal. And the Werkself then picked up the pace even further, getting a second only three minutes later when Mukiele reacted quickest to a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box at a corner. Yet another Xhaka pass proved telling for the third, this time picking out Alejandro Grimaldo’s run to cut back to Schick to slot away Leverkusen’s third in the space of seven minutes and his 16th of the season. Ekitike pounced on a short backpass, beating Hradecky to the ball to tap into an empty net and bring Frankfurt back into the game before the break.

Garcia adds fourth from distance

Eintracht came out with more energy after the restart and tried to reduce the deficit further in Germany’s financial capital. Alonso’s first change was the introduction of Adli for Schick before the hour. The Morocco international quickly tested Kevin Trapp with an effort on the spin before the Werkself restored their three-goal advantage as Garcia fired home from a central position 25 yards out during a period where Frankfurt looked to be in the ascendency. Victor Boniface and Exequiel Palacios came on for Tella and Xhaka, before Jonas Hofmann and Emiliano Buendia were introduced for Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz as Bayer 04 comfortably saw things out to extend their unbeaten run away from home in the Bundesliga to 29 games.

Away in Munich, Bremen at home

Bayer 04 now have the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie away at Bayern Munich to come this Wednesday (9pm CET). Werder Bremen are then the visitors to the BayArena in the Bundesliga on Saturday (3.30pm) before the return leg with Bayern.

Match stats

Frankfurt: Trapp – Kristensen, Koch (Batshuayi 71'), Theate, Brown – Knauff (Collins 46'), Skhiri, Larsson (Hojlund 46'), Götze – Ekitike, Wahi (Bahoya 72')

Bayer 04: Hradecky – Mukiele, Tah, Hermoso – Frimpong (Hofmann 83'), Garcia, Xhaka (Palacios 77'), Grimaldo – Tella (Boniface 77'), Schick (Adli 58'), Wirtz (Buendia 83')

Goals: 0-1 Tella (26'), 0-2 Mukiele (29'), 0-3 Schick (33'), 1-3 Ekitiké (37'), 1-4 Garcia (62')

Referee: Felix Zwayer

Yellow cards: Xhaka

Attendance: 58,000 (sold out) at Deutsche Bank Park