Bayer Leverkusen restarted their league campaign with a tough game against a Wolfsburg side who have been quietly improving under Niko Kovac.
Leverkusen dominated the majority of the first half and were rewarded when Jeremie Frimpong’s shot just crossed the line before Pavao Pervan could do anything. However, Wolfsburg began to pile on the pressure and then equalised before halftime when Leverkusen failed to clear a corner and Maxcene Lacroix was able to convert past Lukas Hradecky.
In the second half, the game once again proved to be a cagey affair but Leverkusen were finally able to make use of their dominance once again when Alex Grimaldo’s effort from a Frimpong cross was deflected in. Wolfsburg continued to pressure Leverkusen’s goal but nothing came of it.
The win for Leverkusen sends them top of the Bundesliga once again one point clear of VfB Stuttgart.
Wolfsburg:
Pavao Pervan – 4 – Was at partial fault for Leverkusen’s first goal while the deflection from the second goal was out of his control. Away from the two goals, there were times that he looked lost at sea, which is a given considering his last start for Wolfsburg was back in January in the DFB Pokal.
Sebastiaan Bornauw – 5
Maxcene Lacroix – 6
Moritz Jenz – 6
Ridle Baku – 6
Yannick Gerhardt – 5
Maximilian Arnold – 6
Mattias Svanberg – 5
Joakim Mæhle – 5
Tiago Tomás – 5
Jonas Wind – 6
Others: Amin Sarr (5), Lovro majer (5), Kevin Paredes (5), Jakub Kaminski (5)
Bayer Leverkusen:
Lukas Hradecky – 6
Josip Stanisic – 5
Jonathan Tah – 6
Edmond Tapsoba – 6
Jeremie Frimpong – 8 – Leverkusen’s stand-out player in this game, not only scored but provided the assist for the second goal, was a nuisance for Mæhle throughout and continues his fine form for Leverkusen. Frimpong has been one of Leverkusen’s best players for a couple of years now but with the inclusion of other world-class players it means the burden for him to perform week in and week out, but when he does he shows his quality.
Exequiel Palacios – 6
Granit Xhaka – 6
Alex Grimaldo – 7 – Showed why his free signing in the summer was a steal. The Spaniard has been the upgrade at the left-back position that Leverkusen have been crying out for, for years now. With his third goal of the season, Grimaldo has shown that he can not only complement Frimpong but give them a different attacking outlet if needed.
Jonas Hofmann – 6
Amine Adli – 5
Victor Boniface – 7 – Not as effective in front of goal today, but his presence allowed Frimpong and Grimaldo to shine. The 22-year-old was able to show his creative side of the game, playing through Frimpong for the opening goal of the game.
Others: Florian Wirtz (6), Nathan Tella (-), Odilon Kossounou (-), Nadiem Amiri (-)
GGFN | Jack Meenan
