Weghorst and Wolfsburg hold Leipzig

Wolfsburg 2-2 RB Leipzig
Goals: 0-1 Mukiele (5') 1-1 Weghorst (22') 2-1 Steffen (35') 2-2 Orban (54')

Leipzig had been well beaten at home to Borussia Dortmund last weekend, and when Nordi Mukiele fired them in front with barely five minutes on the clock, they looked on course to make amends. Wolfsburg, however, found their way through the league's stingiest defence twice before the break to give coach Oliver Glasner a fine first 45 minutes in his 50th top-flight game in charge. Weghorst had already caused enough chaos in the Leipzig box to force Marcel Halstenberg to put through his own goal. It was ruled out, but there was no saving the Germany international full-back soon after when Weghorst got in front of him to head Yannick Gerhardt's tailor-made centre across Peter Gulacsi and inside the far post. Renato Steffen then found the same bottom corner, albeit thanks in part to a helpful ricochet off Willi Orban, to put the hosts in front.

Unfortunately for Glasner, his side were just as generous in gifting Leipzig a leveller. John Anthony Brooks and Maxence Lacroix both looked at each other instead of clearing Amadou Haidara's shot, and though Koen Casteels' reactions enabled him to parry, Orban smashed the loose ball high into the net. Brooks came within a whisker of making amends — and earning Gerhardt a third assist of the afternoon — when the USMNT centre-back pinged a header off a post, but it was Leipzig who came closest to winning it. Dani Olmo tested Casteels from distance, before seeing a near-post flick-on to a corner cleared off the line by Joshua Guilavogui. Lacroix then nicked the ball away from Haidara as he seemed destined to score, and the midfielder surely would have had he thrown himself at an Angelino cross that flashed through the six-yard box untouched as Leipzig left with a point and now risk losing ground to Bayern Munich, who host Freiburg on Sunday, at the top of the table.

• Wolfsburg - along with Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt - have yet to taste defeat at home this campaign. This draw ended a run of five successive victories at the Volkswagen Arena. He now has 11 league goals in 2020/21, the most for a Wolfsburg player after 16 games since Grafite netted 11 in their 2008/09 title-winning campaign.
• Weghorst has scored a league-high four headers, also a single-season personal best for the Dutchman.
• Steffen has three league goals this season, though this was his first from outside the penalty area.
• Mukiele's goal was Leipzig's earliest in the top flight this season.
• Mukiele is the 14th different player to score a Bundesliga goal for Leipzig this season, a league best.
• Orban has scored five of his last seven Bundesliga goals from set-pieces.

Wolfsburg: Casteels - Mbabu, Lacroix, Brooks, Otavio - Guilavogui (c), Schlager - Baku (Brekalo 69'), Gerhardt, Steffen (Philipp 85') - Weghorst
Unused subs: Pervan, William, Mehmedi, Bialek, Ginczek, Siersleben, Joao Victor
Out: Arnold (suspended), Bruma (not included), Roussillon (not included)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

Leipzig:Gulacsi - Orban, Upamecano, Halstenberg - Mukiele (Klostermann 66'), Sabitzer (c), Kampl (Kluivert 78'), Angelino - Olmo (Poulsen 89'), Haidara - Forsberg (Nkunku 46')
Unused subs: Riera, Hwang, Adams, Sorloth, Samardzic
Out: Henrichs (knee), Konate (ankle), Laimer (knee), Szoboszlai (groin)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann