A shaky run that saw Stuttgart win just one of their prior five Bundesliga matches threatened to derail their UEFA Champions League qualification ambitions, but a fast start here cast those fears aside.
Inside two minutes, Leverkusen stopper Mark Flekken was called into action to make a fine reaction save after Chris Fuhrich’s searching cross to the back post was met by Josha Vagnoman.
That proved only a temporary reprieve, as Stuttgart hit the front just five minutes later through Jamie Leweling, who slotted home just his second Bundesliga goal of the season after being found by Deniz Undav’s through ball.
Leweling saw another strike on the quarter-hour chalked off for offside, but undeterred, Stuttgart continued to dominate and soon doubled their lead.
A trip on Vagnonman by Jeanuel Belocian inside the area gave Maximilian Mittelstadt the chance to convert a penalty, and he coolly sent Flekken the wrong way to compound the hosts’ misery. Sebastian Hoeness’ side seemingly weren’t content with a two-goal advantage, and on the stroke of half-time, struck twice in the space of three minutes to stun the BayArena.
First, Leweling cut in from the right and drilled an effort into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box, before Undav was slotted through by Fuhrich and held off Robert Andrich to make it 4-0.
Leverkusen offered very little threat before the break, with only a deflected Ezequiel Fernandez strike causing any issue for Alexander Nubel. Kasper Hjulmand couldn’t possibly have fared worse after the restart, and their intent was noticeably better in the second period’s early stages.
Martin Terrier fired wide from a promising position, before Jeff Chabot’s foul on Malik Tillman presented Die Werkself the chance to score a consolation. And Alejandro Grimaldo took it, sending his spot-kick straight down the middle to provide a rare moment of joy for the home fans.
With many of the home fans having already departed, Leverkusen had sustained far too much damage before HT to mount a comeback. A resounding victory serves as the perfect way to return from the winter break for Stuttgart, who move level on points with fourth-placed Leverkusen.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jamie Leweling (VfB Stuttgart)