Bayer Leverkusen battled to a 2-1 win over hosts VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday with goals from Jeremie Frimpong and Spaniard Alejandro Grimaldo, to stay in top spot in the Bundesliga with their seventh win in eight league matches.
Victor Boniface, who last week won a second straight Bundesliga Rookie of the Month award, provided the assist for side’s first goal.
Unbeaten Leverkusen are on 22 points, one ahead of second-placed Stuttgart, 3-0 winners at Union Berlin, and two ahead of champions Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Xabi Alonso’s team have now won 10 of their 11 matches in all competitions this season.
“Today it was a very strong win for us. Wolfsburg had won all their home games. We had chances to score a third goal,” said Spaniard Alonso, who is already attracting interest from major European clubs.
“It is normal that we suffer a bit in the Bundesliga. But we are not stopping. We are having a good moment but there are still a lot of games to be played.”
Meanwhile, Serhou Guirassy scored Stuttgart’s first in their 3-0 win over Union Berlin.
The Guinea international put the visitors in front in the 16th minute, heading in unopposed from a perfectly-timed cross with Stuttgart’s first real chance of the game.
He is the first player ever to score 14 goals on the first eight matchdays of a Bundesliga season.