“We played almost perfectly,” reflected Xabi Alonso with, as per usual, not so much as a hint of grandstanding, and it was impossible to disagree. Bayer Leverkusen left the field after Saturday’s Topspiel with plenty of respect, and admiration for their continued excellence. They also left the arena with the feeling that for all their accomplishment, there is every chance the Bundesliga title is going back south to its perpetual home at Bayern Munich.
The gap at the top remains at eight points and while a league season should never be distilled to the contents of one game what we took from this was so persuasive, so emphatic without the knockout blow actually being delivered, that the only feeling a neutral could take away was one of incredulity. Since Bundesliga statistics have been recorded never have a Bayern team been so mute. They had no shots on target and the two efforts they did have were not especially notable; a blocked Harry Kane shot and a tame header from the substitute Leon Goretzka that went well wide.
