Player Ratings: Borussia Dortmund pull off stunning comeback to beat Leverkusen

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2, despite being two goals down at half time.

Three days after their 7-0 win over Nuremberg, Borussia Dortmund were in serious danger of losing their unbeaten record under Lucien Favre after Bayer Leverkusen took a two goal lead in the first half. But goals from Jacob Bruun Larsen, Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer (x2) helped Borussia Dortmund turn the game around and seal a 4-2 win.

The win takes them to the top of the Bundesliga standings, one point ahead of second placed Bayern Munich. Here are the Borussia Dortmund player ratings from the game.

Roman Burki (7/10)

Burki stood no chance for either of Leverkusen’s goals but made some stunning saves to keep Borussia Dortmund in the game before his teammates turned it around. Another impressive performance by the Dortmund number one.

Achraf Hakimi (6/10)

If he hadn’t slipped, he probably would have been able to prevent Leverkusen from scoring the opener. He struggled at times defensively but was a constant threat going forward, especially in the second half. Hakimi was not afraid of taking on defenders and more often than not, he ran rings around them. And his cross for Alcacer’s first goal was a thing of beauty.

Manuel Akanji (6/10)

Akanji was solid once again, although he should have done better for Leverkusen’s opener as he left too big a gap in the box. But he got better as the game went on and made a game high seven clearances for his side. His impressive passing range was also on display, especially in the first half when Dortmund were trying to build from the back.

Dan Axel Zagadou (7/10)

There were moments where Zagadou showed his great potential, and then there were other moments where he showed his inexperience. He was comfortable on the ball and made some impressive challenges to prevent Leverkusen from breaking through. But he was also at fault for Leverkusen’s second as he failed to clear the ball quickly enough and Leverkusen took advantage to double their lead in the first half. Otherwise, he had an impressive game and showed that he is ready to start games for Dortmund.

Abdou Diallo (6/10)

Had to move over to left back following Lukasz Piszczek’s injury and did an okay job in his make-shift role. He did not make as many forward runs as he Schmelzer would have, probably wary of Leverkusen’s pace on the counter attack. The Frenchman also should have done better to clear the ball away before Leverkusen scored their second goal from a corner. Became more comfortable in the second half as Dortmund started to dominate.

Axel Witsel (7/10)

Axel Witsel continued his strong start to the season with another impressive performance. Even when Borussia Dortmund were struggling, the Belgian was always composed on the ball and his presence made sure that Leverkusen did not run over his side. And he played a vital role in Dortmund’s second half comeback with his impressive distribution (evident by his 99% pass success rate) and ability to make forward passes.

Thomas Delaney (4/10)

Delaney received a yellow card in the sixth minute which restricted him from playing his natural game. Leverkusen closed down on him very quickly and did not give him any space to move the ball forward, like he was able to against Nuremberg. As a result, Delaney looked very predictable and had to go sideways or backwards. Was taken off at half time.