Werkself Review #B04FCU: 'Confidence and connections growing'

Summary: Poku and Kofane crown strong performance

Against a Union side who defended deep from the start, Bayer 04 took control and increasingly created chances. After missed opportunities for Loïc Badé (13'), Alejandro Grimaldo (18') and Christian Kofane (29'), Ernest Poku eventually rewarded the industrious Leverkusen with his second goal of the campaign. In the midst of this period of pressure from the Black-and-Reds, Grimaldo did have to come off following a collision before the break. His replacement Arthur, as well as Ibrahim Maza who came on for Lucas Vázquez, brought fresh impetus after the restart. Just four minutes of the second half had been played when Christian Kofane capitalised on a mistake by Union goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow to make it 2-0. Thanks to a tenacious and fluid performance, the margin of victory could have been even higher for Bayer 04, but Aleix Garcia had an effort ruled out for offside (54') while Malik Tillman (85') and substitute Jonas Hofmann (90'+3) went close to scoring. There was cause for celebration shortly before full time when Jeanuel Belocian made his comeback from injury.

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Reaction: 'Us with the fans and the fans with us'

"We took another step forward and demonstrated our identity," said head coach Kasper Hjulmand after the final whistle, adding: "Especially in the second half, we played with high quality. The players who came off the bench did a great job, too. Our passing play in the centre worked very well today and we showed a lot of creativity collectively. I'm very pleased."

Edmond Tapsoba, who wore the captain's armband for the closing stages, praised the fans for their loud support during the match: "I want to thank them. We work every day for the fans and I'm very pleased to see them so happy. I'm very glad we could repay them with a win." He also acknowledged team-mate and goalscorer Kofane. "He's someone who likes to learn in training and also stays afterwards to build his confidence. He always wants to help the team."

A pleased Mark Flekken also recognised the great support from the crowd in the third Bundesliga win of the season as well as the progress in the team: "You can see that the confidence in the team is growing, the connections are growing. That makes it really fun to watch the team from the back. We know it only happens together - us with the fans and the fans with us. They roar us on for 90 minutes, and we try to get the best out of that on the pitch. We did that well today."

Meanwhile, Poku said afterwards: "I'm very confident at the moment but so are the team. We played today as if we've been playing together for many years."

What the papers say: 'Best performance so far'

"Bayer 04 triumph after best performance of the season" was the headline in the Kölner Stadtanzeiger. kicker magazine similarly worded its headline with "Bayer convincingly beat Union" and added that Bayer 04 could've extended the lead "multiple times". Bild also described the win as "convincing", while the Rheinische Post wrote: "The Rhinelanders celebrated a comfortable 2-0 win after the best performance of the season so far."

Personnel: Top numbers and Belocian comeback after 287 days

Grimaldo already eased worries after his withdrawal against Union. After neurological examination, the Spaniard will link up with his national team as planned.

Before the meeting with Union, the injured Exequiel Palacios walked out onto the turf and was celebrated by the BayArena faithful for extending his contract until 2030. Ezequiel Fernández and Poku both made their full debuts in the Bundesliga having also made their first starts in the Champions League against PSV in midweek, with the latter netting his second goal in a Leverkusen shirt following the winner against St. Pauli. Vázquez set up the strike with his first assist in the German top flight. Talking of goals, Kofane followed up his maiden goal in Europe with his first in the Bundesliga.

Garcia, meanwhile, demonstrated his passing quality. The Spaniard completed 153 passes to his team-mates against the Berliners, the highest figure for a player in the Bundesliga this season. At the back, Jarell Quansah again showed his strong tackling - he's now second in the league with 71 challenges won. The pair also helped to ensure that Hjulmand not only remains unbeaten as Bayer 04 boss, but has recorded the second-best start by a coach in the club's Bundesliga history.

Among all these leading stats for the Werkself stars, the comeback of Belocian shouldn't be forgotten. The Frenchman replaced Poku in the latter stages and helped to see out the win, returning to action after over 10 months out through injury. The 20-year-old last featured 287 days ago against SC Freiburg on 21 December 2024.

Stats: Still unbeaten against Union at home

The home win extended Leverkusen's unbeaten run against Union Berlin to 10 games. In 14 meetings in total in the Bundesliga, the Werkself have lost just once. At home, the record reads four wins, three draws and just three goals conceded.

It was the 11th consecutive Bundesliga match in which Bayer 04 have scored. Leverkusen also remain top of the league when it comes to tackling, with 649 duels won. What's more, the Werkself boast the joint-best pass completion rate (89.3%) in the league with leaders FC Bayern Munich.

Hjulmand's men produced other impressive stats against Union: 74% possession, 58% of tackles won and the pass rate of 92% illustrate the Werkself's dominance. Twenty attempts on goal to 10 for the visitors also reflect the balance of play.

Looking ahead: Trip to Mainz after break

Several Werkself players now head off for international duty - you can find an overview of the call-ups and fixtures HERE. Bundesliga action returns on Saturday 18 October (kick-off 15:30 CEST) with the away game at 1. FSV Mainz 05.