VfB Stuttgart produced the result of the Bundesliga weekend on Saturday, winning 4-2 at Bayer Leverkusen in a six-goal thriller at the BayArena as Ermedin Demirovic scored twice to inflict a first home defeat of the season on Die Werkself.
Stuttgart arrived in Leverkusen out of form in the league, but Sebastian Hoeness's side tore up the script inside 22 minutes. Demirovic opened the scoring on 14 minutes, turning home the loose ball after Mark Flekken had saved Bilal El Khannouss's flick following a swift one-two with Deniz Undav, as the Bundesliga official match report detailed.
Eight minutes later it was 2-0. Chris Fuhrich's corner was headed on by Jeff Chabot and nudged further by Grischa Promel, and Jamie Leweling bundled the ball in from close range. Leverkusen, who had won eight of their previous ten matches in all competitions, were being cut to shreds.
Schick Answers, but the Woodwork Saves Stuttgart
Leverkusen responded on 28 minutes when Patrik Schick powered home a header from an Aleix Garcia corner to halve the deficit and give the home crowd hope. Ibrahim Maza then struck the crossbar from a corner, but Stuttgart carried their own threat to the break — Leweling rattled the woodwork at the other end right on the stroke of half-time, and the visitors went in 2-1 ahead knowing the game should already have been further beyond the hosts.
It was a miserable afternoon for a Leverkusen side that had already been humbled at Hoffenheim earlier this month, and Carles Martinez's five changes from the midweek cup win — including a first Bundesliga start in two months for Lucas Vazquez — never settled against Stuttgart's intensity.
El Khannouss and Demirovic Finish the Job
Stuttgart began the second half exactly as they had the first. On 51 minutes Fuhrich released El Khannouss down the left, and the Moroccan drove to the edge of the box before placing his shot inside the far post from around 20 yards to restore the two-goal cushion. The visitors were not done. In the 65th minute Undav found Demirovic at the far post with a perfect pass across goal, and the Bosnian rifled the ball in from seven yards for his second of the afternoon.
Leverkusen pulled one back on 79 minutes when Miguel Gutierrez crossed for Maza, who headed in at the far post, but there was no grandstand finish. The numbers told the story: Stuttgart won the expected-goals battle 3.23 to 1.77, and Demirovic was named player of the match with 65 percent of the vote, as Flashscore also reported. It was Stuttgart's third consecutive league win over Leverkusen, after previously going 15 competitive meetings without beating them.
So What Does It Mean?
For Leverkusen, a first home defeat of the season is a serious dent in their momentum. They stay stuck in the chasing pack while Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund — level on points at the top before Der Klassiker later on Saturday — fight for the summit, and a defence that conceded four at home will alarm Martinez ahead of the winter run.
For Stuttgart, this could be a season-turning result. A first Bundesliga win in three matches lifts them up to 10th for now, backing up their midweek DFB-Pokal victory over Paderborn, and their front line of Demirovic, Undav, Leweling and El Khannouss finally clicked together at full force. If Hoeness can get this output regularly, Stuttgart will climb quickly.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This was not a smash and grab — Stuttgart outplayed Leverkusen at their own game, pressing higher, breaking faster and finishing colder, and the 3.23 expected goals proves the scoreline flattered the hosts if anything. Demirovic will take the headlines, but the real story is a Stuttgart attack that suddenly looks like one of the most dangerous in Germany. Was this a one-off Halloween horror show for Leverkusen, or the day Stuttgart announced themselves as European contenders again?
