Werkself win 3-1 in Leipzig to go into break in third place

Head coach Kasper Hjulmand made five changes to the team that started last week’s 2-0 derby win against Köln, including giving Nathan Tella his first start since September. Both teams knew that a victory would give them third place over the winter break.

Werkself turnaround in first half

Schick had the first effort of the evening for Leverkusen inside five minutes, before Terrier had a go and Mark Flekken was called into action to deny Conrad Harder in a lively opening period. Hjulmand’s side reached 70 percent possession at one stage as Arthur’s powerful shot and a Schick header failed to produce a reward.

The next move in a back-and-forth match did finally bring a goal, but it was for Leipzig as Xaver Schlager picked out the left corner after a run across the edge of the box. However, the hosts’ lead lastest barely five minutes as Arthur’s cross from the right was met on the run by Terrier, whose header from the near post flew past Peter Gulacsi to level for his second goal in as many games after his scorpion kick in the derby. Bayer 04 then took the lead themselves just before half-time when Tella fed Schick, who sat down his opponent inside the box and smashed his shot underneath the crossbar. Tella had another great opportunity himself before the break, but it remained 2-1.

Trio return, Culbreath's debut goal

Flekken was again called into action to deny Harder after the restart. Hjulmand then introduced the fit-again Fernández before the hour mark. Leipzig were pushing for an equaliser and saw Harder fire wide from a tight angle. The next set of substitutions saw Tape return from two-and-a-half months out and a senior debut for U19s forward Culbreath. Vázquez was the next to make his comeback in the closing minutes. Leipzig continued to try and force the issue and maintain their unbeaten home record, but that allowed Culbreath to break in the 97th minute and coolly fire in his first Bundesliga goal to make it 3-1.

Return to action against Stuttgart

After a short winter break, Leverkusen return to competitive action for 2026 at home against VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday, 10 January (18:30 CET). The fixture list is busy from there, with a midweek trip to Hamburg and then away at Hoffenheim the following weekend.

Match stats:

Leipzig: Gulacsi - Nedeljkovic (Baku 70'), Orban, Lukeba, Raum - Baumgartner, Seiwald (Bitshiabu 89'), Schlager - Gomis (Werner 79'), Romulo (Maksimovic 70'), Harder

Bayer 04: Flekken - Andrich, Badé, Belocian - Arthur (Vázquez 83'), Garcia, Tillman, Tella (Tape 77') - Hofmann (Fernández 57'), Terrier (Culbreath 77') - Schick (Kofane 77')

Goals: 1-0 Schlager (35'), 1-1 Terrier (40'), 1-2 Schick (44'), 1-3 Culbreath (90'+7)

Yellow cards: Lukeba - Arthur, Tape

Referee: Benjamin Brand

Attendance: 46,053 at the Red Bull Arena​