Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund continued their exceptional form as they clinched a 6:2 victory against Leverkusen in a highly entertaining clash. Ousmane Dembele’s early goal was followed by a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. In the latter period of the game, substitute Christian Pulisic, Andre Schurrle and Raphael Guerreiro all found the back of the net. Kevin Volland and Wendell were the ones finding themselves on the scoresheet in Leverkusen front. Here are the Borussia Dortmund player ratings as they swept aside a hapless Bayer Leverkusen.
Note: Players coming on after the 75th minute will not be given any ratings!
Roman Burki(7:10): Could have done better in saving the two shots, which ended up in the back of the net. Aside from that, the Swiss international was decent in goal for Dortmund. Although a clean sheet would have been perfect.
Lukasz Piszczek(7.5/10): Didn’t have much to do offensively, being deployed as the right centre back. Maintained a balanced positioning throughout the game, in order to avoid Leverkusen from exploiting the backline. Had a decent 69 touches in the game.
Sokratis(7/10): The Greek defender was resolute in the first half but encountered a lot of problems defending against the likes of Karim Bellarabi. Overall, he could have done much better in defence for Dortmund.
Marc Bartra(8/10): Put on a brave display against Leverkusen, often getting forward to help the offence with his accurate passes. Completed the most passes than any other player on the field(72) and made three interceptions. The former Barcelona man seems to be in good form in the last couple of matches.
Julian Weigl(7.5/10): Had some trouble steadying the ship in the middle of the park, but fared well as the game progressed. Made four interceptions and completed 50 passes in a highly intensive encounter, which is actually pretty good.
Erik Durm(8.5/10): Was given his second consecutive start. Durm featured on as a right wingback but mostly spent his time roaming forward and making runs in behind die werkself defence. He was great, linking up with the likes of Guerreiro and Castro and unlike against Freiburg, his crosses were also on target.
Ousmane Dembele(9.5/10): Was a threat throughout the game! The young Frenchman caused a lot of trouble for the opposition defence using his attractive skills and sheer pace. Indeed! Dembele made six dribbles, and at times, the new signing from Rennes seemed unplayable. His early goal set the tempo perfectly for an enjoyable night for the Dortmund fans and players.
Gonzalo Castro(7.5/10): Mainly acted as the secondary anchorman for Dortmund. Castro was very helpful when Weigl looked all bubbly and his presence in the middle, balanced the rhythm of play for the home side.
Raphael Guerreiro(9/10): Once again had an excellent game in the attack! The Portuguese midfielder had a stunning game setting up the tempo for the BVB attack. Guerreiro made most number of interceptions than any other Dortmund player, while his link-up play was equally dangerous for the opposition. At the end, he got rewarded for his exceptional performance with a goal.
Marco Reus(9/10); The unfortunate injuries once again keeps hitting Marco Reus! And for all the wrong reasons. Prior to getting injured, the German International was arguably the best player for the home side. Making seven dribbles, more than any other player! However, that was before he stretched his left hamstring. He will miss the midweek clash against Benfica and is set to be out for two weeks.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(9/10): Scored two important goals as he overtakes Robert Lewandowski in the run for the topjagerkanone. His season tally is now extended to 21 goals, former teammate Lewandowski follows up with 19.
Subs
Christian Pulisic(9/10): Replaced Reus after he got injured in the first half. The US international was equally impressive or even better than Marco Reus, constantly keeping the opposition defence busy with his run-ins at the defence. He made five dribbles and also got himself a goal in the final phase of the game, which was the fifth Bundesliga goal in his career.
Shinji Kagawa(NA): Came on for Ousmane Dembele in the 73 minute. Didn’t have much to do apart from some simple passes in the final third.
Andre Schurrle(NA): Won the penalty just after coming on for Aubameyang in the 82nd minute. He also successfully converted the penalty to make it 5:1.
