West Ham Bayer Leverkusen Leverkusen win on agg. Xabi Alonso said there'd be no title-winning hangover in London, but Leverkusen were far from their lofty best in a nervy first half. Alonso responded by hooking the carded Odilon Kossounou , but Leverkusen continued to falter as Antonio went within a whisker of converting Bowen's teasing cross. Alonso shuffled his pack once more at the break as Victor Boniface - on target from the bench in the first leg - and Jeremie Frimpong replaced Patrik Schick and Tella respectively.
Frimpong was quick to inject some purpose into proceedings with a driving run and cross for Florian Wirtz , who was unable to land his first-time effort on target. Frimpong blazed over when one-on-one with the goalkeeper as Leverkusen took complete charge, before making amends with a deflected equaliser that extends this relentless Leverkusen team's unbeaten run to a European record 44 competitive games.
Italian outfit Roma, who beat Bayer in last season's semi-finals, now stand in their way of a place in the final. Die Werkself need just one more win to secure their status as Bundesliga champions, but their quest for European glory will be more challenging. It was more of the same in the second period, as West Ham continued to frustrate a Leverkusen outfit that moved the ball around the pitch well without making any serious inroads.
By this point, West Ham forays forward were effectively non-exist, and eventually, the visitors' solid rearguard was breached. Moyes' side were unable to fully clear a corner, and when the ball arrived to him on the volley, Hofmann made no mistake as he found the bottom corner. Then, Boniface put Leverkusen in cruise control of the tie when he headed Hofmann's delicious cross into the bottom corner, giving his side a considerable advantage ahead of the second leg at the London Stadium next week.
The Bundesliga's top two teams have only lost once each this season, so why are Leverkusen trailing Bayern? Just as in their earlier meeting with Leipzig this season, Bayer Leverkusen gave up a two-goal lead, the champions this time held to a draw. Make the most of your transfers to maximise your points this weekend Bayer Leverkusen sub Jeremie Frimpong c. The hosts were fantastic in the first half and led thanks to Michail Antonio, but Die Werkself controlled the game after the break and ultimately deserved their equaliser, which came through Jeremie Frimpong.
