Bayern's attack blunted at Leverkusen | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen efforts tame Bayern Munich attack to previously unseen levels

Xabi Alonso's defending Bundesliga champions may not have been able to pick up maximum points in their crucial encounter against league leaders Bayern Munich, but the Werkself did manage to push their opponents towards an unwanted record in the teams' latest meeting.

Ultimately, Leverkusen will be disappointed not have cut the gap to league-leaders Bayern as they instead remain eight points adrift with 12 games remaining, but the Werkself will take heart from the way they restricted the Bundesliga's highest goalscorers this term.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Bayern registered just two shots, with neither of them testing Lukáš Hrádecký between the Leverkusen sticks. Both of those attempts came in the second-half, meaning the record champions did not have an attempt in the opening period of a league game for the first time since records began in 1992.

Bayern's total tally of two attempts is thus the lowest they have recorded in the past 33 years, with their previous worst total of four occurring against Hansa Rostock in 1995.

Watch: Alonso: "We just lacked accuracy"

This was an impressive performance from Xabi Alonso's men, with their 55 per cent possession and 16 shots at goal both season-highs against Bayern. Alonso himself is also still unbeaten in six games against his former employers, while his team are now without defeat in the German top flight in 20 outings. All that was missing for the hosts on Matchday 22 was a goal, and with an xG of 2.23 (to Bayern's 0.14) they certainly created enough to grab a winner.

"We did almost everything to win the game," Alonso said after full-time. "We missed the accuracy with the final shot. We hit the bar twice - we were really close in many situations. Overall, the way we played with and without the ball was really good, I think."

Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany, meanwhile, was happy with the way his team defended as they looked to take an important step towards regaining their title. "The energy was a good thing," he said. "On the ball, we didn't have our best game, but the energy was there. Let's be honest, we did what we had to do today. We are eight points clear and we have played a lot of games. We move on".

Watch: Kompany: "We did what we had to do today"

In the end, Bayern were left satisfied with the way they battled and the fact that they limited Leverkusen to just two shots on target themselves - even if the home side did hit the woodwork through Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella. Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, missed a gilt-edged chance in stoppage time.

All told, it means that with 12 games still to play in the top division this term, Bayer 04 will not be relinquishing their crown without a fight. Next up in that battle is a trip to face Holstein Kiel on Matchday 23, on a weekend when Bayern host Eintracht Frankfurt.

Liked the article? Find more articles on the official Bundesliga App.