Leverkusen humbled at home as Stuttgart runs riot
Stuttgart fired four goals past hapless host Bayer Leverkusen in a lop-sided first half to cruise to a 4-1 Bundesliga victory after the three-week winter break.
The visitors completely dismantled Leverkusen in the opening half as Jamie Leweling scored twice before the hosts pulled one back with a 66th-minute Alex Grimaldo penalty.
Stuttgart stunned the home crowd when Leweling drilled in for a 10th-minute lead. Leverkusen struggled to find a way back into the game and it was Stuttgart that scored again with Maximilian Mittelstaedt sending goalkeeper Mark Flekken the wrong way to convert his 29th-minute penalty.
Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel did well to stop an Ezequiel Fernandez shot with a one-handed save in the hosts' best chance in the first half but it got worse before the break with the visitors scoring twice.
Leweling found just enough space to unleash an unstoppable shot and Deniz Undav bagged another deep into stoppage-time to compound Leverkusen's first-half misery.
Grimaldo converted his spot-kick but it was only a small consolation for the hosts.
Stuttgart climbed to fifth place with 29 points, level on points with Leverkusen in fourth and third-placed RB Leipzig, which has a game in hand after the postponement of its match at St Pauli because of snow.
Borussia Dortmund is second on 33 with current leader Bayern Munich on 41 ahead of its match against Wolfsburg on Monday (AEDT).
