Staff Reporter.
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Bayer Leverkusen went 10 points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Cologne, who were reduced to 10-men in the first half of a hotly-contested Rhein derby on Sunday.
Leverkusen, who have now gone 34 games without defeat in all competitions this season, have 64 points. They extended their lead over Bayern, who drew 2-2 at Freiburg on Friday.
Their task was aided when Cologne’s Jan Thielmann was shown a straight red card for a foul on Granit Xhaka.
Jeremie Frimpong then opened the scoring before Alex Grimaldo’s low strike made it 2-0 in the second half.
Leverkusen easily saw out the rest of the game and, with 10 matches left, they will now be expected to shake off their “Neverkusen” tag to take the crown away from Bayern who have won the last 11 Bundesliga titles.
“There are still a few games to play. We have seen in the past what else can happen,” defender Jonathan Tag told Dazn.
“It’s important to maintain focus.”
Cologne’s defeat leaves them in 16th — the relegation playoff spot — on 17 points, eight points from safety.