Harry Kane celebrated his 100th Bundesliga appearance with a goal as Bayern Munich overwhelmed RB Leipzig 6-1 to move top of the table.
Luis Diaz scored a hat-trick, while Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olise were also on target as Vincent Kompany’s side responded to two disappointing draws with a commanding attacking display.
Bayern had been held by Augsburg in the Bundesliga before drawing with Norwegian side Viking in the UEFA Champions League. Those results had raised concerns over the defending champions’ defensive consistency, but they quickly put those doubts aside against Leipzig.
Diaz opened the scoring after 12 minutes, running on to a quickly executed pass from Joshua Kimmich before calmly finishing beyond Maarten Vandevoordt.
The Colombia international then created Bayern’s second goal. After breaking forward, Diaz supplied Aleksandar Pavlovic, who struck at the near post to put the hosts firmly in control.
Olise added a third before the interval. The France international combined with Kane before sending a low shot into the bottom corner, leaving Leipzig with a steep challenge to recover after half-time.
Bayern resumed in similar fashion, with Diaz scoring again only 95 seconds into the second half. He cut inside and curled the ball into the net to extend the home side’s lead.
Kane then reached another landmark in his career. Nathaniel Brown’s cut-back allowed the England captain to tap in Bayern’s fifth goal, marking his 100th Bundesliga appearance with his 102nd goal in the competition.
Diaz completed his hat-trick with 20 minutes remaining, delivering a powerful right-footed finish from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner.
Leipzig finally managed a consolation during stoppage time. Andrija Maksimovic produced an excellent finish into the top corner, but it did little to alter the outcome of a one-sided contest.
Bayern’s superiority was underlined by the match statistics. They recorded 17 shots on target before Leipzig registered their first in the 78th minute, while Vandevoordt made 11 saves to keep the final margin from becoming even greater.
The result moved Bayern to the Bundesliga summit on 14 points after Borussia Dortmund drew 0-0 with Union Berlin earlier on Saturday.
That position could be temporary, however, with Freiburg able to move two points clear of Bayern if they beat Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Kompany’s team will next switch focus to the UEFA Champions League. Bayern are scheduled to host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, October 21.
Leipzig’s uneven beginning to the campaign continued as they slipped to seventh place. They have recorded three home wins and suffered three away defeats.