Bayer Leverkusen moved up to second in the Bundesliga after a ruthless first-half showing saw them down Wolfsburg 3-1 at Volkswagen Arena on Saturday. 

Kasper Hjulmand's side netted three times in the first half to take a commanding lead, though Denis Vavro's 57th-minute goal gave Wolfsburg some hope. 

Leverkusen needed just nine minutes to take the lead when Alejandro Grimaldo's cross flicked off Malik Tillman, with the ball rolling into the path of Jonas Hofmann to tuck home.

The visitors doubled their advantage through Edmond Tapsoba's 24th-minute header, with the Leverkusen defender finding the bottom-right corner from Aleix Garcia's fine cross. 

Hjulmand's team pulled further clear in the 33rd minute when Patrik Schick's clever flick sent Tillman on his way, with the midfielder staying calm to slot past Kamil Grabara. 

Struggling Wolfsburg were quick out of the blocks after the break with Konstantinos Koulierakis and Dzenan Pejcinovic forcing stops from Mark Flekken. 

And the hosts' persistence was rewarded just before the hour when Vavro nodded in from Maximilian Arnold's corner. 

Leverkusen should, however, have restored their three-goal advantage less than two minutes later, but Ernest Poku clipped the crossbar.

Wolfsburg continued to push to try and reduce the arrears, but the damage had already been done, as their winless run at home in the league stretched to 14 games.

Data Debrief: Tillman gets roadrunners back on track

After seeing their run of 37 Bundesliga away matches without defeat ended by Bayern Munich on matchday nine, Leverkusen were out to avoid suffering back-to-back losses on the road for the first time since between September and October 2022 (three), but they got back on course here. 

They were made to work hard, though, having only generated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.12 from their seven shots compared to Wolfsburg's 2.21 from their 22 attempts, but it was Leverkusen's quality in the final third that told. 

Tillman was the pick of the bunch for the visitors, with the forward becoming the first United States international to record a goal and an assist in a Bundesliga match since Jordan Pefok for Union Berlin back in August 2022.