Leipzig thrash Bremen as new Red Bull boss Klopp watches on

The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach officially started as the Global Head of Football at Red Bull, Leipzig's parent company, on January 1. Klopp was seen wrapped in a Red Bull-branded blanket in freezing conditions while celebrating Leipzig's goals, a day after watching from the stands at sister club Paris FC.

The win took Leipzig back to fourth, level on points with third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, nine behind leaders Bayern. Leipzig welcomed back the dynamic Simons, who has been out since October with an ankle injury. The Dutch midfielder put the hosts in front after 24 minutes, taking advantage of a quick throw-in to latch onto a Lois Openda pass and slide the ball into the bottom left corner.

Bremen's Mitchell Weiser levelled things up two minutes later, finishing from close range after a clever Marco Gruell backheel. Simons however had Leipzig back in front 10 minutes before the break when his long-range effort was deflected past Bremen goalie Michael Zetterer and into the net. Sesko doubled Leipzig's lead a minute into the second, unleashing a dipping rocket from outside the box and over Zetterer's outstretched fingers to score for his fourth straight game.

Simons was replaced by Christoph Baumgartner midway through the second half and the Austrian added Leipzig's fourth in the final minute of regular time. Scotland forward Oliver Burke scored a consolation goal for Bremen in stoppage time. In Sunday's late game, Augsburg host Stuttgart.

 

January 12, 2025