A hat-trick from Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick inspired the Bundesliga champions to come from two goals down to beat Heidenheim 5-2 on Saturday. 

The emphatic triumph saw Xabi Alonso's side extend their unbeaten league run to nine matches, moving them up to fourth but still nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich. 

However, Leverkusen found themselves behind inside the opening 10 minutes when Niklas Dorsch was teed up by Marvin Pieringer inside the box. 

Heidenheim doubled their advantage soon after through Mathias Honsak, who danced his way beyond three defenders before finishing into the bottom left corner. 

But two goals in two minutes from Exequiel Palacios and Schick drew the hosts level, with Leverkusen able to take a hold of the contest after the interval. 

Schick notched his second of the game seven minutes after the restart to put Leverkusen ahead when he brilliantly flicked Florian Wirtz's cross beyond Kevin Muller. 

The Czech striker completed his hat-trick with a header in the 71st minute, with Granit Xhaka sealing the win with a curled finish into the far left corner. 

Data Debrief: Patrik hero

Ahead of kick-off, Leverkusen were dealt a huge injury blow with in-form striker Victor Boniface potentially ruled out until next year, but they needn't have worried. 

Schick grasped his opportunity with both hands, putting on an impressive display and ending the game with more shots on target (four) and more touches in the opposition box (13), while also accumulating a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.37 to Leverkusen's 2.05 total. 

He has now scored three or more goals in a Bundesliga game on three occasions for Leverkusen, with only Ulf Kirsten (seven) having done so more times for the club.

Arne Slot insisted he will continue to look at "one game at a time" after leading Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Luis Diaz's second-half hat-trick along with Cody Gakpo's 63rd-minute strike spoiled Xabi Alonso's Anfield return, moving the Reds top of the 36-team standings. 

Liverpool have now won all four of their Champions League games under Slot. It’s only the second time that they have won all four opening games in a single season. 

The Reds are now top of both the Premier League and Champions League, though Slot was keen to focus on the next task, which comes in the shape of Aston Villa on Saturday.

"I don't know if it was that much to do with intensity, but we took more risk," Slot said. 

"They overloaded the midfield a lot, and we adjusted at half-time and took the risk to play one v one all over. We had better chances in the first half and they weren't a goal threat.

"As much as this time, how good they are in Europe, sometimes a strong target man is better than someone a bit faster.

"Curtis Jones did an incredible pass, and then you have someone with the pace of Lucho to finish it off. The pass was as good as the goal, in my opinion.

"You don't look ahead as a manager in the next three months. You're always one game at a time. We've got Aston Villa on Saturday, another tough game."

Diaz's treble saw him become only the second Colombian player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Faustino Asprilla for Newcastle against Barcelona in 1997. 

And he insisted that things have started brightly for Slot at Anfield, but said his team-mates must continue to perform to have something to show for it at the end of the season.

"The most important thing is the three points in this edition of the Champions League so we can keep progressing in the competition," Diaz said. 

"Things have gone so well with the new manager, it wasn't easy for him to come in and fill Jurgen Klopp's shoes.

"Hopefully, we'll have something to show for it at the end of the season.

"We have top-quality players all over the pitch and I really enjoyed playing in that position today. I'm just happy to be on the pitch.

"I need to go and find that ball now because I need to keep it somewhere special at home."

For Alonso and Leverkusen, meanwhile, it marked a first Champions League defeat since 2022, while also conceding four or more goals in an away match in the competition since 2013 against Manchester United.

"It's painful the result more than the performance, probably," Alonso told Amazon Prime.

"But this is the Champions League, this is the highest level, and today it wasn't enough for us."

"It's too early to tell, but I can see that Liverpool have a very good balance, a very complete team.

"They work with 11 players, and they have the power to hold a clean sheet, which is important in the Champions League.

"In the Premier League, let's see. It's early to tell but it's looking good."

Alonso, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, was serenaded by the home supporters at Anfield during the contest. 

"I tried to separate the game and the pain from the result from the nice feelings to come back. I'm really happy and thankful for that reception," he added. 

Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to close the gap at the Bundesliga summit after a wasteful display saw them draw 0-0 with Stuttgart.

Leverkusen remain third in the standings, four points behind RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, who play Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin respectively on Saturday.

Xabi Alonso's side dominated proceedings from the first whistle, registering 10 attempts in the first half, though only three were on Alexander Nubel's goal. 

They came closest to breaking the deadlock five minutes before the break when Edmond Tapsoba rattled the crossbar with a thumping header. 

Leverkusen struck the woodwork again shortly after the restart, this time through Victor Boniface, as the Stuttgart net continued to live a charmed life at the BayArena. 

Boniface was then denied by a miraculous save by Nubel in the 73rd minute, before the visiting goalkeeper denied Florian Wirtz to seal a share of the spoils for Stuttgart. 

Data Debrief: All bark, no bite

Leverkusen lacked the attacking spark that helped them romp to the Bundesliga title, and this result could prove pivotal in their attempts of reclaiming their league crown. 

The goalless draw saw the hosts underperform their expected goals (xG) value by 2.19. Only in a 0-0 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach last season have they underperformed their xG value more in a league game under Alonso (3.0). 

Boniface was arguably the biggest culprit for wasting those golden opportunities. He had four shots, with two of those on target, while he also missed three big chances. 

Victor Boniface will miss Wednesday's Champions League game at Brest, with the Bayer Leverkusen striker still processing the shock of a car crash he was involved in on Sunday.

Xabi Alonso confirmed Boniface's absence on Tuesday, just two days after the forward was a passenger in a car involved in a crash.

Boniface had scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt but sustained minor injuries to his hand and foot in the incident.

Alonso said the Nigeria international still needed some time to recover from the shock in the aftermath.

"He is not in the squad. After what happened, it's also a precautionary measure," Alonso told a press conference.

"He's missing for health reasons. He has a small wound on his hand, a small cut on his right foot. But the shock is bigger.

"Physically he is better but it is also an emotional issue. He feels good but he is not ready for tomorrow," Alonso said.

Boniface has scored seven goals across all competitions, including one in the Champions League.

Thankfully for Leverkusen, Alonso said he did not expect Boniface to be sidelined for too long before what could be an entertaining European clash.

Brest and Leverkusen have both won their opening two matches in the league phase of the competition.

Leverkusen are aiming for three straight Champions League wins for the fifth time, while this could be the second time they have done so in their opening three games of a campaign since 2001-02, going on to reach that season's final.

Bayer Leverkusen opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Thursday, scoring all four of their goals by half-time.

Xabi Alonso's men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip. 

Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.

Another of last season's stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.

Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke of half-time, Timon Wellenreuther diverting the ball into his own net in a failed attempt to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's header.

Feyenoord were never likely to respond from there, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.

Bayer's resounding victory takes them third in the young Champions League standings, with Milan their next opponents in the competition on October 1.

Data Debrief: Wirtz makes the step up

Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Season as Leverkusen romped to the title last term, and he made the step up to Europe's premier club competition look easy on Thursday.

At the age of 21 years and 139 days, he became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut.

Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes (28) is the only midfielder that has been directly involved in more goals in major European competitions than Wirtz (26 – 14 goals, 12 assists).  

Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first defeat in 36 Bundesliga matches, as Leipzig came from behind to stun Xabi Alonso's side 3-2 at BayArena.

Lois Openda struck twice for Marco Rose's, who recovered from 2-0 down to make it two wins from two and move to the summit of the table.

It looked like business as usual for the reigning Bundesliga champions when they scored twice in the last seven minutes of the first half through Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo.

However, Leipzig replied deep into first-half stoppage time with Kevin Kampl reducing the deficit.

Openda then brought the visitors level in the 57th minute, before a stunning long-range strike completed the turnaround 10 minutes from time, condemning Leverkusen to their first league defeat in 15 months. 

Data Debrief: Leverkusen's long streak comes to a shuddering halt

Leipzig became the first side to beat Leverkusen in a Bundesliga match since Bochum achieved the feat a staggering 462 days earlier.  

The visitors have begun a Bundesliga season with two wins from two for only the second time, also doing so in 2019-20.

They are also now unbeaten in 13 league matches, their longest such streak since Rose took charge.

As for Leverkusen, their invincible streak is officially history, as is their 29-game unbeaten run on home soil.

Xabi Alonso is looking for a big improvement from Bayer Leverkusen against fellow Champions League side RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

After a 3-2 league win at Borussia Monchengladbach, Leverkusen edged to a narrow 1-0 victory at fourth-tier FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday.

Despite winning their opening two games of the season, and maintaining their impressive unbeaten streak, Alonso said his double-winning side are far from their best selves.

"We know that we can play better and have not yet reached our top level yet. We need to work on that," Alonso told reporters on Friday.

"That's why we want to carry on working. It's a process to achieve that level, but it's our aim, and we're focused on that. And I'm confident we can do it too.

"The players know exactly what they have to do. We have a good flow in our game, and we have to maintain that so that we can work both with and without the ball."

Leverkusen and Leipzig will both play Liverpool, Inter and Atletico Madrid in the revamped Champions League, with Alonso conceding that Saturday's match could be a test of his side's potential in that competition.

"The game with Leipzig is a top match at Champions League level. They are very good opponents with very strong individual and collective quality and a great coach [Marco Rose]."

"We have eight great opponents, and it will for sure be intense, and obviously I am looking forward to going back to Anfield."

Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky has been ruled out due to illness and will be replaced by Matej Kovar in goal, Alonso also confirmed. 

Xabi Alonso wants Bayer Leverkusen to click through the gears after they edged out Jena in the DFB-Pokal.

Jonas Hofmann's header was enough to send holders Leverkusen into the next round with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

Alonso's side only allowed their lower-league opponents to have six shots, but worryingly for the Bundesliga champions, those did accumulate to 1.04 expected goals (xG).

Indeed, Hamza Muqaj missed a golden opportunity for the hosts worth 0.75 xG in second-half stoppage time.

With RB Leipzig next up in the league, Alonso knows his team have to sharpen up.

"[We faced] a good opponent and it wasn't easy," said Alonso.

"We have to work on a few things, but we are in the next round and that's what counts. Now we go straight into preparing for the next league game."

Leverkusen did bolster their defensive options, though with the signing of Nordi Mukiele.

The versatile defender has joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and could be in line to make his debut against his former club Leipzig on Saturday.

Odilon Kossounou, meanwhile, has left Leverkusen to sign for Atalanta, who beat Alonso's team in last season's Europa League final, on loan. 

Jonas Hofmann's header sent holders Bayer Leverkusen through in the DFB-Pokal.

Leverkusen kick-started their Bundesliga campaign with a last-gasp win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday, and though matters were more comfortable against lower-league Jena on Wednesday, Xabi Alonso's team had to settle for a 1-0 win.

Hofmann got the decisive goal in the 52nd minute, heading home from Alex Grimaldo's delivery.

Leverkusen finished with 16 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 1.31, though Jena did muster 1.04 xG from just six attempts, with Hamza Muqaj squandering their best chance of the game.

Data Debrief: Heads up

Hofmann has had a fantastic career, plying his trade for Leverkusen, Gladbach and Borussia Dortmund.

Yet incredibly, his goal on Wednesday was the first ever to come from his head. It was his only attempt of the night, with the attacking midfielder managing just three touches in Jena's area.

Florian Wirtz produced another late show for Bayer Leverkusen as the Bundesliga champions kickstarted their title defence with a dramatic 3-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Leverkusen looked set to start their campaign with a point, having seen Nico Elvedi and Tim Kleindienst cancel out Granit Xhaka and Wirtz’s first-half strikes.

However, as they showed last season on their way to a maiden Bundesliga crown, Wirtz struck in the 11th minute of injury time to extend their unbeaten league run.

Xabi Alonso's side were cruising at the break as Xhaka's stunning strike from distance was followed by Wirtz's first of the game seven minutes before the break. 

The hosts would draw level just before the hour-mark as Elvedi nodded the ball home after seeing his initial effort brilliantly kept out by Lukas Hradecky. 

And with the pressure mounting, Kleindienst marked his Monchengladbach debut with a goal five minutes from time. However, yet more drama would unfold. 

Leverkusen were awarded a late penalty for Ko Itakura's foul on substitute Amine Adli, with Wirtz seeing his spot-kick saved, only to follow up on the rebound. 

Data Debrief: New season, same old Leverkusen

Leverkusen continue to keep fans across the globe on the edge of their seats, with Alonso's side now unbeaten in their last 35 Bundesliga matches. 

After scoring 18 goals last season, Wirtz started the campaign with a brace, with his two goals taking his total for Die Werkself to 43 in 154 appearances. 

He also became the fifth Leverkusen player, after Christian Schreier, Ulf Kirsten, Bernd Schneider and Stefan Kießling, to score in two consecutive opening matches of a Bundesliga campaign.

Ten-man Bayer Leverkusen beat Stuttgart 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes to win the DFL-Supercup on Saturday.

Lukas Hradecky denied Frans Kratzig from 12 yards in the shoot-out then Silas fired his kick over the crossbar as Leverkusen won their third trophy under Xabi Alonso, following a last-gasp equaliser from Patrik Schick.

Domestic double winners Leverkusen, who only lost once in all competitions last season, needed just 11 minutes to take the lead with Edmond Tapsoba heading towards goal at the far post and Victor Boniface prodding the ball over the line.

Stuttgart struck back four minutes later, though, thanks to Enzo Millot's strike in the first German curtain-raiser not to feature Bayern Munich for 13 years.

Leverkusen were reduced to 10 men when Martin Terrier was dismissed for a studs-up challenge in the 37th minute and Stuttgart quickly took control from there.

Stuttgart then hit the woodwork three times and went in front in the 63rd minute when substitute Deniz Undav connected with a Kratzig cutback mere seconds after coming on.

But Leverkusen's never-say-die attitude, which brought them many late goals last season en route to an undefeated Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal run, was evident again as Schick latched onto an Alejandro Grimaldo throughball to level two minutes from time.

They kept their cool from the spot and scored all four penalties as Stuttgart's Silas blasted over the crossbar to seal Leverkusen's victory, after Hradecky saved from Kratzig. 

Data Debrief: Lethal Leverkusen make light of numerical disadvantage

Leverkusen were made to play around an hour with 10 men following Terrier's sending-off and had to spend long periods sitting back, only managing a 34.3% possession share.

However, they continued to threaten on the counterattack, with their 12 shots totalling 2.49 expected goals (xG) to Stuttgart's 1.37. They were then perfect from the spot, starting their second full campaign under Alonso as they intend to finish it, with silverware.

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen battled past second-tier Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday to win the DFB-Pokal and secure the club's first domestic double.

Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday, in what was astonishingly their first defeat of the season in all competitions, after a European record 51-game unbeaten run.

But at Berlin's Olympic stadium, which will host the Euro 2024 final in July, Xabi Alonso's side ensured they capped off a remarkable campaign with another piece of silverware thanks to Granit Xhaka's stunning 16th-minute strike.

The ball rolled out to the former Arsenal man around 25 yards out, and he planted an unstoppable first-time effort into the left-hand side of the net.

They controlled the pace even after they were reduced to 10 men following Odilon Kossounou's second booking a minute before half-time.

Kaiserslautern rarely threatened after the break, with Leverkusen limiting their opponents to just 0.2 expected goals.

And even though they could not add to their lead, Leverkusen were able to comfortably wrap up their second trophy of the best season in the club's history.

Data Debrief: Leverkusen join the club

Leverkusen are only the fifth different side to win the double in Germany since the Bundesliga was founded, after Bayern Munich (13 times), 1. Koln, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund.

Xhaka's strike was a worthy winner. He became the first Swiss player to score in a DFB-Pokal final.

Gian Piero Gasperini and Ademola Lookman both cherished creating Atalanta history after ending Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run and securing Europa League glory.

Lookman produced a performance worthy of the most important European moment in Atalanta's history, securing the club's first-ever major trophy on the continent after his dazzling hat-trick.

The Nigeria winger is just the sixth player to manage a treble in a major UEFA final and the first since Jupp Heynckes’ for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Twente in 1975.

Lookman will be the toast of Bergamo when Gasperini's side head home, boasting their first trophy in 61 years – after the Coppa Italia – following a 3-0 triumph to end Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten run.

"One of the best nights of my life," the hat-trick hero told TNT Sports in Dublin.

"Amazing performance from the team, we did it, we did it, we did it! I haven't got much else to say, but fantastic."

Lookman is also just the second player to score a treble for an Italian side in the final of a major European competition, after Pierino Prati for Milan against Ajax in the 1969 European Cup

Preparing to leave the Aviva Stadium with the Europa League trophy in hand, Lookman could not wait to celebrate a seismic moment in the club's history.

"We've got to celebrate, we made history tonight," he added.

Gasperini, aged 66 years and 117 days on Wednesday, is the oldest coach to win his debut major European final, and the second Italian coach to win the Europa League after Maurizio Sarri in 2019.

The veteran Atalanta mastermind echoed Lookman's sentiment, after securing just a second trophy in the Italian club's history.

"I think we wrote history, also for the way we won it," said Gasperini, speaking to UEFA's official media channels.

"It was just extraordinary, we defeated Liverpool, Sporting who won the championship. When we faced Liverpool they were first in the Premier League... And now the German champions.

"Incredible. The boys were extraordinary, a memorable performance."

Ademola Lookman will be the toast of Bergamo after his hat-trick inspired Atalanta to Europa League glory, ending Bayer Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten run after a 3-0 defeat in Dublin.

Nigeria winger Lookman is just the second player to score a treble for an Italian side in the final of a major European competition, after Pierino Prati for Milan against Ajax in the 1969 European Cup.

His single-handed match-winning heroics secured Atalanta's first-ever major European trophy as they became the 10th different Italian side to do so, second only to teams from England (13).

The records continued to tumble for Lookman, whose hat-trick was the sixth in a major UEFA final and the first since Jupp Heynckes’ for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Twente in 1975.

Having no response to a performance for the ages, Leverkusen suffered their first defeat since their final game of the 2022-23 season, ending a 361-day unbeaten run from last losing 3-0 to Bochum.

Gian Piero Gasperini's masterclass will etch his name into Atalanta history, with the Italian – aged 66 years and 117 days on Wednesday – the fourth oldest manager to win a major European trophy.

Only Raymond Goethals (71y 231d, 1993 Champions League), Heynckes (68y 16d, 2013 Champions League) and Alex Ferguson (66y 142d, 2008 Champions League), have done so at an older age.

Owing to Gasperini's genius and Lookman's quality, Atalanta are the first Italian side to lift the Europa League trophy since its rebrand in 2009, with Parma in 1999 the last Serie A side to win the UEFA Cup.

Alonso will hope to bounce back in Saturday's DFB-Pokal final but the Bundesliga champions are the first team to win the league title but lose the UEFA Cup/Europa League final in the same season since Benfica in 2013-14, and the first German side to do since Borussia Dortmund in 2001-02.

Ademola Lookman produced a performance for the ages as his hat-trick ended Bayer Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten streak and saw Atalanta claim the Europa League with a 3-0 win in Dublin.

Xabi Alonso's Bundesliga title champions were eyeing an unlikely treble this season, but those plans came to a crashing halt as Atalanta secured their first-ever European silverware.

Lookman did the early damage with his first-half brace, the second of which was an eye-catching solo strike, as Gian Piero Gasperini's Serie A side seized unexpected control on Wednesday.

Comeback masters Leverkusen may have fancied a late fightback but Lookman's thumping 75th-minute finish completed his hat-trick and ensured Alonso's team suffered defeat for the first time this season, in what was their penultimate match of an exceptional campaign.

Leverkusen were punished for a slow start as Atalanta, making their maiden appearance in a European final, capitalised with just 12 minutes gone at the Aviva Stadium.

Exequiel Palacios was caught unaware at the back post as Davide Zappacosta slammed a low right-sided cross for Lookman to fire into the top-left corner from close range.

Lookman doubled his tally 14 minutes later, coolly flicking through the legs of Granit Xhaka before curling a right-footed finish into the bottom-right corner from the cusp of Leverkusen's area.

Alex Grimaldo should have responded shortly after but aimed a timid lob straight at the onrushing Juan Musso, who gratefully grasped the chipped effort when way out of his goal.

Charles De Ketelaere fizzed into the hands of Matej Kovar, while Granit Xhaka whipped wide before Alonso introduced striker Victor Boniface at the break.

That alteration failed to change the tide as Jeremie Frimpong blazed over the only chance before the hour-mark – and there would be no way back after Lookman scored his third with 15 minutes remaining.

Gianluca Scamacca played a simple offload out to his left, with Lookman breezing past Edmond Tapsoba before cannoning a wonderful left-footed strike beyond Kovar to seal a famous night for the team from Bergamo.

Atalanta savour legend Lookman

Lookman has etched his name into Atalanta history after helping Gasperini's side become the first Italian side to win the Europa League.

The Nigeria international is the sixth player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA competition, and the first since Jupp Heynckes' for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup.

Lookman's match-winning heroics will live long in the memory of Atalanta supporters, who will cherish just their second major trophy in club history – 61 years after winning the Coppa Italia.

Neverlusen comes to an end

Prior to this stunning defeat, Leverkusen were undefeated in all 12 Europa League games this season (W9 D3) and aiming to become the fourth side to win the trophy unbeaten, along with Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21 and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.

Adding in their nine-month unbeaten run, which spanned back to a first-round DFB-Pokal thrashing of Teutonia Ottensen in mid-August, Alonso's side appeared the favourites for this clash.

Yet form went out the window as Atalanta – who also eliminated Liverpool in the quarter-finals – inflicted Leverkusen's first defeat across all competitions in 361 days, and Alonso must now rally his troops for the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday.