Leverkusen a point clear after draw with Bayern

Bayer Leverkusen moved a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga after a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich yesterday.

The Bundesliga's leading scorer Stefan Kiessling took his league tally to nine this season when he levelled on 14 minutes after Bayern had taken an early lead through striker Mario Gomez.

Undefeated Leverkusen have 27 points from 13 matches, one ahead of Werder Bremen who demolished Freiburg 6-0 on Saturday.

Bayern, who have now drawn for the third consecutive match and have won only two of their last seven league games, are in seventh place on 21 points.

Fifth-placed Hamburg lost ground after a 1-0 home defeat by lowly VfL Bochum, who scored the winner on 77 minutes through Dennis Grote to leave the hosts in fifth place on 23 points.

"We played great football in the first half. I even expected that we would score to make it 2-1," Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes, who twice coached Bayern in the past, told reporters.

"We played without any confidence in the first half," said Bayern coach Luis van Gaal, whose team could also be eliminated from the Champions League this week.

"It is sad because we really wanted those three points," the Dutchman told reporters.