Bayer Leverkusen 0:0 Bayern Munich Player Ratings: Lucky Bayern escape defeat as Leverkusen rue missed chances

Bayern Munich escaped a defeat away to Leverkusen, as the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate, despite a dominant display from the hosts. Leverkusen are enjoying a five-game unbeaten run against Bayern in all competitions for the first time in their history and this result has put Bayern Munich with an eight-point lead on Bayer Leverkusen in the title race, with 12 matchdays remaining.

Bayer Leverkusen make five alterations to the XI while Bayern Munich makes only two changes from the side. The hosts were completely dominant in the first half, looking more composed than their opponents. Leverkusen’s skilled wide play created two golden opportunities in four minutes midway through the half, only for both Frimpong and Tella to send their chances against the crossbar.

After winning the ball back in midfield following Olise’s misplaced pass, Wirtz turns and spots Neuer off his line before launching a half-pitch strike that narrowly drifts wide of the open goal.

Despite having more possession, Bayern struggled a lot to get the attack going, with zero shots throughout the half. The wide attackers failed to create any meaningful chances and the only one came from a set piece late in the first half, which was ruled out for offside anyway.

The second half progressed in a similar vein to the first, with Bayer Leverkusen continuing their dominance, while Bayern’s struggles continued. Leverkusen came close to scoring from Nathan Tella’s acrobatic attempt via a corner routine, but he failed to hit the target. Kompany made four changes at the same time to mix things up and put some life into the team. The first shot for Bayern came during the 73rd minute, which was not even a clear-cut chance. While Leverkusen almost scored, with Wirtz narrowly missing out, the game ended goalless.

Here are the Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich Player Ratings.

Bayer Leverkusen Player Ratings

GK- Lukas Hradecky – 5.5/10

He did not have anything to do in the match, as Bayern did not even get a shot on target.

LB- Piero Hincapie – 6.5/10

He was undisciplined in a few defensive challenges and got booked as a result.

CB- Edmond Tapsoba – 7/10

His tackling limited the chances Bayern could create and his composure caused calmness across the backline.

CB- Jonathan Tah – 7.5/10

He was dominant aerially, often making heading clearances. His spatial awareness was also a huge advantage, as he often closed down the attackers with ease.

RB- Nordi Mukiele – 7/10

A steady defensive performance, locking down Coman in the first half and Sane later. He showed defensive positioning and timely clearances.

LM- Alejandro Grimaldo – 7/10

His set-piece delivery was dangerous, creating some excellent chances that were not capitalized.

CM- Exequiel Palacios – 6.5/10

His defensive performance stood out, making timely challenges and also recycled possession when having the ball.

CM- Granit Xhaka – 7/10

He was a midfield orchestrator and was stringing some excellent passes alongside impeccable delivery on set pieces.

CAM- Florian Wirtz – 8.5/10

One of those nights for him. He just looked uncontainable. He worked so hard to find space, and so elusive with the ball at his feet. Proper little maestro’s performance. He will regret the late miss though, as it could have sealed a historic win.

RM- Jeremie Frimpong – 7/10

An energetic, tireless display on the right flank, often bombarding forward with precise crosses. His work rate was commendable.

ST- Nathan Tella – 6.5/10

His movement and game awareness were excellent, but he lacked those striker instincts which made him toothless in attack.

SUB- Amine Adli – NA

He came in too late to cause any sort of impact.

SUB- Patrick Schick – NA

He was put in to get a late goal, but two minutes is too little to cause any sort of damage.

Manager- Xabi Alonso – 8.5/10

His team dominated completely both defensively and offensively. He could have introduced a striker into the match a bit earlier, as his side was struggling to put chances away.

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Bayern Munich Player Ratings

GK- Manuel Neuer- 6.5/10

He made some crucial saves that kept his side in the match. His distribution could have been a bit better, considering the high standards he has set before.

LB- Hiroki Ito – 6/10

A full debut for him, he did well to maintain composure. He was also part of a crucial goal-line clearance that protected the clean sheet.

CB- Min Jae Kim – 6/10

He was rash with his challenges but a solid defensive effort overall.

CB- Dayot Upamecano – 6/10

He read the game excellently tonight, making vital tackles and interceptions. His passing was not up to the standards, as he failed to initiate attacks like he does.

RB- Konrad Laimer – 6.5/10

A blend of solid defensive display with forward runs, he did a fine job on the right side of the defense.

CM- Joshua Kimmich – 6.5/10

He combined the defensive rigor with smart distribution but struggled to create quality chances.

CM- Aleksandar Pavlovic – 5/10

He was a bit immature tonight with the ball, gifting away the possession. His lack of composure got him booked and subbed off as a result.

CAM- Jamal Musiala – 6/10

While he exhibited the usual flair in his game, with silky movement, he was not very impactful overall.

LW- Kingsley Coman – 5/10

His inconsistent crossing and hesitation during one-on-one situations made him ineffective and subbed off as a result.

ST- Harry Kane – 5.5/10

He was dropping in too deep to create chances, it looked like he was playing as a defensive midfielder on occasion. He received zero service and as a result, he was not able to make a mark.

RW- Michael Olise – 5/10

An early promise with his chance creation but a tepid display overall, which resulted in a substitution.

SUB- Serge Gnabry- 5.5/10

He replaced Michael Olise on the right flank.

SUB- Leon Goretzka – 5.5/10

He came in for Pavlovic, who got booked. He added a defensive stability but nothing going forward.

SUB- Leroy Sane – 5/10

He was put in to inject some life into the attack, but he failed to do so

SUB- Josip Stanišić – 6/10

Playing against the side whom he represented the season before, he was given a chance to impress in the final frame.

SUB- Sascha Boey – NA

He came in very late into the game and only offered fresh legs.

Manager- Vincent Kompany – 4/10

Despite a tough team to play away from home, not getting even a single shot the whole match is a pathetic display from his side. His substitutions did not make any sort of impact either. He was lucky to get away with it tonight.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

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