Leipzig end Bayern & Dortmund streak by topping Bundesliga table at Christmas

For the first time since 2010, neither Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund are top of the table at the halfway stage of a Bundesliga season, with RB Leipzig the team to catch after the winter break.

A 3-1 win over Augsburg on Saturday secured the informal ‘herbstmeisterschaft’ (autumn championship) for Leipzig and they hold a two-point lead at the summit after Borussia Monchengladbach were held to a 0-0 draw at Hertha Berlin.

Defending champions Bayern are four points off the pace in third, with Dortmund and Schalke a further three points back.

Bayer Leverkusen were top midway through the 2009-10 campaign, a season that ended with Bayern as champions. Since that campaign, Bayern have led the way at Christmas in seven seasons, while Dortmund were the front-runners in 2010-11 and 2018-19.

Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig scored three goals in the final 22 minutes to come from behind and beat Augsburg.

TOP AT CHRISTMAS

#DieRotenBullen pic.twitter.com/LaZFK5sHJD

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) December 21, 2019

Striker Timo Werner said: “It was looking like one of those games for a long time. We had lots of chances but the ball just didn’t want to cross the line.

“But we managed to turn it around. It shows how far we have come as a team.”

Discussing Leipzig’s position at the top of the table, Werner added: “Our league standing is just a snapshot and it ultimately doesn’t count for much. Nevertheless, we’re proud to go into the winter break top of the table.”