Harry Kane marked his 100th Bundesliga appearance with a goal as Bayern Munich delivered a dominant display to thrash RB Leipzig 6-1 on Saturday, moving to the top of the league table.
Luis Díaz stole the spotlight with a superb hat-trick, while Aleksandar Pavlović, Michael Olise and Kane also found the net as Vincent Kompany’s side returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion.
Bayern entered the match following disappointing draws against Augsburg in the Bundesliga and Norwegian side Viking in the Champions League, raising questions about their defensive stability.
However, the defending champions responded emphatically, overwhelming Leipzig with their attacking quality and relentless pressure.
Díaz opened the scoring in the 12th minute, racing onto a clever pass from Joshua Kimmich before calmly finishing past Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt.
The Colombian then turned provider, setting up Pavlović to fire home at the near post and double Bayern’s lead.
Olise made it 3-0 before half-time, exchanging passes with Kane before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner to leave Leipzig facing an uphill battle.
Bayern maintained their dominance after the restart, with Díaz curling home his second goal just 95 seconds into the second half.
Kane then marked his milestone appearance by tapping in Nathaniel Brown’s cut-back to register his 102nd Bundesliga goal and extend Bayern’s advantage to five.
Díaz completed his hat-trick with 20 minutes remaining, unleashing a powerful right-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner.
Leipzig managed a late consolation through Andrija Maksimović, who produced an excellent finish into the top corner during stoppage time.
Bayern’s attacking superiority was evident in the statistics, as they registered 17 shots on target before Leipzig managed their first in the 78th minute. Vandevoordt made 11 saves to prevent an even heavier defeat.
The victory lifted Bayern to the top of the Bundesliga standings with 14 points, following Borussia Dortmund’s goalless draw against Union Berlin earlier on Saturday.
However, their position could change on Sunday, with Freiburg having the opportunity to move two points clear if they defeat Bayer Leverkusen.
Kompany’s men will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they are scheduled to face Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, October 21.
Meanwhile, Leipzig’s inconsistent start to the campaign continued, leaving them seventh in the standings after recording three home victories and three away defeats.
