Havertz hits brace as Leverkusen thrash Werder

Werder Bremen 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Havertz (28'), 1-1 Gebre Selassie (20'), 1-2 Havertz (33'), 1-3 Weiser (61'), 1-4 Demirbay (78')

The visitors were the better team from the outset, controlling possession and probing their deep-lying hosts at every opportunity. Bremen's defence initially stood firm, but was ultimately breached just before the half-hour mark when Moussa Diaby sprinted away from Marco Friedl on the right before crossing to the back post, where Havertz nodded over the line. Their joy was short-lived, however, as Bremen hit back almost instantly as Theodor Gebre Selassie flicked Leonardo Bittencourt's corner home from close range. The visitors seized the initiative once again shortly afterwards though, with Havertz heading in his eighth goal of the season from a Kerem Demirbay free-kick to give Leverkusen a deserved half-time lead.

Eager to press home their advantage, the away side began the second half at a furious pace and their pressure proved simply too much for Bremen to handle. Havertz was involved once more, feeding the ball to the left for Diaby, whose dinked cross into the middle was headed in by Mitchell Weiser. Davie Selke miscued a glorious opening at the other end for Bremen, who otherwise never looked like seriously troubling Lukas Hradecky's goal. Demirbay rounded off the scoring late on with a neat chip from Karim Bellarabi's no-look pass to keep Leverkusen in the hunt for a top-four finish.

• Florian Wirtz became Leverkusen's youngest-ever Bundesliga debutant at the age of 17 years and 15 days, beating Havertz's record by 111 days. He is now the league's third-youngest player of all time.
• Havertz's first goal was Leverkusen's 1,000th away goal in the Bundesliga. He has now scored six of his eight league goals in 2019/20 in the second half of the season.
• The Germany international scored his first brace of the season and fifth in the Bundesliga overall. He had never previously scored two headers in one match.
• Gebre Selassie netted his second goal of the season, ending Bremen's eight-hour goal drought at the Weserstadion this season.
• Bremen have now conceded at least once in each of their last 18 Bundesliga games - an unwanted club record.
• For the first time in 14 years (on 2 May 2006 away to Hertha Berlin), Leverkusen scored three headers in a single game.

Watch: Havertz discusses his headed brace

Bremen: Pavlenka - Veljkovic, Vogt (Osako 85'), Moisander (c) - Gebre Selassie, M. Eggestein, Bargfrede (J. Eggestein 54'), Friedl - Bittencourt (Woltemade 71'), Selke (Sargent 71'), Rashica (Bartels 85')
Unused subs: Kapino, Lang, Langkamp, Sahin
Out: Augustinsson (muscular), Füllkrug (torn ACL), Klaassen (suspended), Möhwald (knee), Pizarro (thigh), Toprak (calf)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt

Leverkusen: Hradecky - Weiser, S. Bender, Tapsoba, Sinkgraven - Aranguiz (Paulinho 85'), Demirbay - Amiri (Baumgartlinger 71'), Wirtz (Bellarabi 62'), Diaby (Bailey 62') - Havertz (c) (Alario 85')
Unused subs: Özcan, Tah, Dragovic, Alario, Palacios
Out: L. Bender (foot), Volland (foot)
Coach: Peter Bosz