Bayern Munich 3-3 RB Leipzig: Muller double denies visitors top spot

Thomas Muller salvaged a thrilling 3-3 draw against RB Leipzig as Bayern Munich held onto their place at the top of the Bundesliga.

Bayern came from behind to lead after Manuel Neuer’s mistake gifted Christopher Nkunku the opener, with substitute Jamal Musiala and Muller scoring in the space of four first-half minutes.

Justin Kluivert responded rapidly with his first Bundesliga goal to send the teams into half-time level, before Emil Forsberg’s header looked set to send Leipzig to the summit.

However, Leipzig sat back and Muller connected with a cross from Kingsley Coman with 15 minutes remaining, with a point enough to ensure Bayern remained the pacesetters.

Thmas Müller
Kingsley Comn

What a performance from these two tonight! #FCBRBL pic.twitter.com/9dd0OIcOO3

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) December 5, 2020

After Marcel Sabitzer struck the crossbar, Nkunku put Leipzig ahead when Neuer raced out of his box but failed to beat the Frenchman to Forsberg’s throughball and left him with a vacant net to pass into.

Javi Martinez was forced off with a muscular injury but his replacement Musiala arrowed in an equaliser five minutes after coming off the bench, giving Peter Gulacsi no chance after the Leipzig goalkeeper had produced a phenomenal save to keep Benjamin Pavard’s sublime half-volley out of the top-right corner.

A quickfire second saw Bayern take the lead in the 34th minute when Muller sent Coman’s pass beyond Gulacsi at his near post.

However, they were only in front for 81 seconds, with Kluivert picking out the bottom-left corner after being played onside by Jerome Boateng.

Leipzig regained the lead within three minutes of the restart, Forsberg left in plenty of space to head Angelino’s cross past Neuer.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side looked to soak up the pressure and see out the win, but they were undone when Coman again picked out Muller for a header that Gulacsi could not keep out.
 

What does it mean? Leipzig miss opportunity

Given Bayern’s recent dominance in the Bundesliga, the fact Nagelsmann has only lost three of his nine top-flight matches against the Bavarian giants underlines why he is considered one of the best coaches in Europe.

Since taking over Leipzig ahead of last season, he has not been defeated in any of his three league meetings with the reigning champions, but on Saturday he had a prime chance to claim a first win.

With Borussia Dortmund also drawing, Leipzig could have stolen a march on their title rivals but will now slip to third if Bayer Leverkusen beat Schalke on Sunday.

Musiala magic

He is only 17 but Musiala already has three Bundesliga goals and his introduction was key to Bayern taking something from the game. He cancelled out the opener and was involved in the build-up to the two other goals scored by Hansi Flick’s team.

Lacklustre Lewandowski

Flick rested Lewandowski for their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid in midweek, but the striker struggled to get involved against Leipzig. He only had one shot on target and just two of his 30 touches came in the opposition box – in Bundesliga appearances of at least 45 minutes for Bayern, only against Leverkusen in September 2018 has he had fewer touches in the opponents’ penalty area.

Key Opta Facts

– Bayern conceded a goal against Leipzig at the Allianz Arena for the first time, Nkunku ending the visitors’ wait after 379 minutes.  
– No team have avoided defeat against Bayern in as many games as Leipzig since the start of the 2017-18 season (five times in seven matches). 
– Musiala scored his 3rd Bundesliga goal – all of them this season and all of them coming from the bench. No other player scored more Bundesliga goals this season as a substitute (tied with Hertha Berlin’s Krzysztof Piatek). 
– Only Timo Werner (17y 8m 4d) was younger when scoring his 3rd Bundesliga goal than Musiala (17y 9m 9d). 
– Coman assisted three goals in a Bundesliga match for only the second time in his career (also a 5-0 win against Werder Bremen in March 2016).

What’s next?

Bayern are guaranteed to top their Champions League group and host Lokomotiv Moscow in their final game before the knockouts on Wednesday, while Leipzig need to win at home against Manchester United to guarantee their progression 24 hours prior.