Luis Diaz Plunders First Career Hat-Trick as Bayern Munich Batter RB Leipzig 6-1
Bayern Answer Their Critics in Style
Bayern Munich delivered the perfect response to a difficult week, thrashing RB Leipzig 6-1 at the Allianz Arena to move back to the top of the Bundesliga before Freiburg's trip to Leverkusen on Sunday. Vincent Kompany's side had been held to a shock 3-3 draw away to Viking in Norway in midweek and had also been pegged back by Augsburg last weekend, but there was no sign of any hangover as they dismantled a timid Leipzig outfit.
Heading into the game Bayern boasted a 100% record at the Allianz Arena, while Martin Demichelis' Leipzig had yet to win a game away from home — and that trend looked set to continue inside the opening 15 minutes.
Diaz Opens the Floodgates
Maarten Vandevoordt conceded the first goal of the game in the 12th minute as Luis Diaz scored in back-to-back games. A superb chipped pass from Joshua Kimmich sent the Colombian clean through, and he rifled his finish past the Leipzig goalkeeper. For a player who had faced early concerns about a dip in performance, it was a timely statement.
Diaz then turned provider minutes later, setting up Aleksander Pavlovic — who had been rested against Viking FK — for a composed finish and a 2-0 lead. The man-of-the-match performance was only just beginning.
Olise and Kane Join the Party
Bayern continued to knock on the door, and Michael Olise added a third with yet another calm finish after Harry Kane, operating as the playmaker, spotted him unmarked inside the box. The Frenchman celebrated with more energy than usual following the criticism he had faced for a red card in the Champions League.
Leipzig's inability to create anything meaningful in the first half made the game feel over well before the interval.
Demichelis made a couple of half-time substitutions to prevent further embarrassment on his return to the Allianz Arena, but they had little effect. Three minutes after the restart, Diaz completed his brace from Kane's second assist of the night. The England captain then joined the scoresheet himself following a slick Bayern move, latching onto a first assist for the club from Nathaniel Brown to make it 5-0.
A Hat-Trick for the History Books
Diaz completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute from a corner, receiving the ball from Olise and curling a superb effort beyond the reach of Leipzig's Belgian number one. The hat-trick was the first of Diaz's professional career, and the variety of his three finishes put to bed any lingering doubts about his finishing ability.
Vandevoordt made several saves after the break, including an unorthodox stop to deny substitute Tom Bischof, only to concede from the resulting corner. Bayern nearly scored seven in back-to-back home games, but Serge Gnabry was denied from close range. Kompany reserved his final substitution to hand Sacha Boey his first minutes of the season, the French defender having stayed at Bayern despite the club's best efforts to find him a new home before the transfer window closed.
Right at the death, substitute Andrija Maksimovic netted his first Bundesliga goal — and his first ever for Leipzig — in injury time to make it 6-1.
Kane the Creator
On the goal front it has been a slow start to the season for Kane, with the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and Patrik Schick surpassing him in the scoring charts, but in his 60-minute cameo the Englishman very much left his mark with two assists and a goal before being replaced by Lennart Karl. The outing came on his 100th Bundesliga appearance.
Questions Pile Up for Demichelis' Leipzig
The defeat once again raises questions about Martin Demichelis. The Argentine has not impressed since replacing Ole Werner as head coach, and while Werner also lost 6-0 to Bayern, that came in the opening game of the season and an immediate improvement followed. By contrast, Leipzig oscillates between scoring heavily — against Hamburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, whom they beat 6-0 last matchday — and then losing convincingly, as they did against Como, Bayer Leverkusen and now Bayern. At times it can be argued that Demichelis has been saved by the quality in the Leipzig squad rather than finding solutions himself, and so far the gamble to sack Werner and replace him looks like a poor decision.
Having conceded 11 goals to Bayern in the Bundesliga last season, Leipzig have now shipped five or more goals in each of their last three visits to Bayern in the league.
What's Next
Bayern will host last season's Champions League finalists Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, while Leipzig face the record European champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Player Ratings
Bayern Munich: Jonas Urbig (5), Konrad Laimer (6), Dayot Upamecano (6), Kim Min-Jae (6), Nathaniel Brown (6), Joshua Kimmich (6), Aleksander Pavlovic (6), Michael Olise (7), Ismael Saibari (6), Luis Diaz (8), Harry Kane (8). Others: Tom Bischof (5), Serge Gnabry (5), Josip Stanisic (5), Lennart Karl (5), Sacha Boey (5).
RB Leipzig: Maarten Vandevoordt (6), Lukas Klostermann (3), Castello Lukeba (4), Willi Orban (4), David Raum (4), Neil El-Aynaoui (4), Ezechiel Banzuzi (4), Brajan Gruda (5), Rocco Reitz (3), Antonio Nusa (4), Christopher Nkunku (4). Others: Nicolas Seiwald (5), Tidiam Gomis (5), Romulo (5), Benjamin Henrichs (5), Andrija Maksimovic (5).
Man of the Match: Luis Diaz (8) — his first career hat-trick, with an alternative shout for Harry Kane.