Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Borussia Moenchengladbach: Wirtz stars as Die Werkself defeat visitors to keep pace with league leaders

Florian Wirtz played a starring role as Bayer Leverkusen secured a 3-1 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, keeping them four points behind leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga standings.

Wirtz scored twice and provided an assist in a dominant performance that extended Leverkusen's winning streak to 11 matches across all competitions ahead of their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

"It was tough to get this result. But we had good control and patience and we played a mature game," said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso. "I am very satisfied with his (Wirtz's) performance. He had a top, top impact on the game. His mentality is top. He always wants to play, to win, and have fun on the pitch, and you can see that," Alonso added.

Leverkusen faced an early setback when forward Martin Terrier was forced off after just nine minutes due to an ankle injury. "It does not look good with Martin," Alonso commented. "It looks like a heel injury. We will wait for tomorrow to see but it is a pity for Martin. Tomorrow we will have a clearer situation."

Despite the early injury, Leverkusen struggled to break down a disciplined Gladbach defense until Wirtz took matters into his own hands. The Germany international collected a pass from Granit Xhaka outside the box, shook off Ko Itakura, and calmly slotted home in the 32nd minute to open the scoring.

Wirtz doubled his tally with a well-executed penalty in the 62nd minute, taking his total to nine league goals. He turned provider 12 minutes later, assisting Patrik Schick for the Czech forward's 12th league goal of the season. Gladbach pulled one back in stoppage time through Tim Kleindienst, but it was too little, too late for the visitors.

Leverkusen remain in second place with 41 points, four behind Bayern Munich, who won 3-2 against VfL Wolfsburg to stay in first.

SportsLigue