Bayern Munich had two players sent off but still managed to secure a 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen, although their lead at the top of the Bundesliga was reduced to nine points. The result also extended Bayern’s winless run in league matches at the BayArena to four games.

Fresh from a dominant 6-1 victory over Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League during the week, Bayern faced a Leverkusen side still recovering from a late 1-1 draw with Arsenal in Europe.

The hosts made a bright start and took the lead inside six minutes, albeit with a slice of fortune. Montrell Culbreath dispossessed Luis Diaz to spark a counterattack led by Patrik Schick, who slipped the ball to Aleix Garcia. His shot looked harmless until a deflection off former Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah looped the ball over goalkeeper Sven Ulreich and into the net.

Bayern had avoided defeat in each of the previous seven Bundesliga games in which they conceded first this season, and they began to apply pressure in search of an equaliser. However, clear chances were scarce, with Nicolas Jackson unable to seriously test Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich with two attempts.

Tah briefly thought he had scored against his former club, but his effort was ruled out for handball. Bayern’s task then became even harder when Jackson was shown a red card for a late challenge on Martin Terrier shortly before half-time.

Despite being a man down, Bayern continued to push forward after the restart. Diaz came close early in the second half but slipped at the crucial moment and dragged his shot wide. Leverkusen then had opportunities to extend their lead, with Malik Tillman firing narrowly wide before Schick was denied by a brave intervention from Ulreich.

Substitute Harry Kane thought he had equalised soon after coming on, only for his goal to be ruled out for handball in the build-up. Bayern eventually found a way through in the 69th minute when Michael Olise intercepted a poor square pass from Robert Andrich and set up Diaz, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Diaz’s evening later took a negative turn when he received a second yellow card for simulation, reducing Bayern to nine men in the closing stages. It marked the first time the Bavarian club had two players sent off in a Bundesliga match since April 2001.

Leverkusen pushed hard for a late winner, with Ibrahim Maza and Tillman both denied by Ulreich, while a stoppage-time goal from Jonas Hofmann was ruled out by VAR for a tight offside call.

Bayern ultimately held on to extend their unbeaten run in away Bundesliga matches to 22 games. However, the dropped points allowed their lead at the top of the table to shrink, while Leverkusen missed the chance to move into the top four, remaining two points behind with a game more played.