Bayer Leverkusen recorded their fourth league win in succession as they defeated Freiburg 2-0 at home to move up to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Head coach Kasper Hjulmand suffered his first loss since taking charge in midweek as his side were on the end of a 7-2 thrashing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, but they responded in style here. 

The home side took the lead after 22 minutes as Ernest Poku surged towards goal and exchanged a one-two with Aleix Garcia before striking a curling effort at goal which found the far corner.

They would double their advantage seven minutes into the second half as Alex Grimaldo whipped a teasing cross from the right which was met by the head of Edmond Tapsoba, and the defender made no mistake from close range. 

Freiburg's afternoon went from bad to worse as Philipp Lienhart was sent off for the first time in his career after receiving a second yellow card for a tactical foul. 

Leverkusen went searching for more goals but Poku was denied a second by Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, while Grimaldo missed the target with an effort inside the final 15 minutes.

Despite the heavy European defeat in midweek, Hjulmand remains unbeaten domestically since taking over from Erik ten Hag in early September.

Data Debrief: Fast starts providing a strong base for Leverkusen as league form continues

A key feature of Leverkusen this season has been their quick starts, and they went ahead after 22 minutes through Poku's goal. They've taken the lead in every league game so far this season, a feat which is only matched by reigning champions and current league leaders Bayern Munich. 

They also extended their recent dominance over Freiburg, with four wins and two draws from their last six matches against today's opponents. It has now been over three years since Freiburg's last win, which took place at BayArena in September 2022.

Leverkusen were always in control and created a total of four big chances compared to just one for Freiburg, ending with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.75 from their 17 shots, compared to 0.72 for Freiburg from their 10 attempts at Mark Flekken's goal.

Grimaldo continued his strong season with another assist, his third of the campaign so far and the most of any Leverkusen player in 2025-26.