Bonfire Night Blowout: Bayer Gets Burned at Anfield

On a night when the skies over Liverpool were already primed for fireworks, Bayer 04 walked right into a Bonfire Night showdown at Anfield. It’s a classic English tradition to light up the night on November 5th, and Liverpool made sure we saw just how explosive they could be. Unfortunately for us, the fireworks on the pitch all came from the Reds. And yet, for one glorious half, it looked like our Werkself might actually manage to put a damper on the celebrations.

With seven points from three Champions League matches, we arrived with the ambition to silence the legendary Anfield crowd, if only for a while. Xabi Alonso, back on his old stomping grounds, put together a lineup designed to strengthen the defense and keep Liverpool’s attack in check. And in the first half, it worked like a charm. Bayer controlled possession, stayed disciplined, and even outplayed Liverpool in duels. For 45 minutes, we showed everyone that we didn’t come to England to sit back. Ball possession? Ours. Duel percentage? Ours, too. To hold Liverpool off like that on their own turf is no small feat, and we had reason to be optimistic heading into the break.

But alas, dreams can fade quickly at Anfield. The second half saw Liverpool unleash a display worthy of Bonfire Night. First came Luis Diaz, then Cody Gakpo, hitting us with a brutal one-two punch that shattered our resolve. Within minutes, we found ourselves 2-0 down, and any hope of escaping with points evaporated. The Anfield crowd came alive, and suddenly Bayer’s control slipped through our fingers. The team tried to regroup, with Xhaka and the midfield fighting to wrestle back possession, but the chances just wouldn’t fall our way. Diaz, fully in the zone, added two more to complete a ruthless 4-0 scoreline that left us reeling.

The frustration was real—not because we didn’t try, but because the first half had shown we could match them stride for stride. To go down so hard in the second half was a tough pill to swallow. But there’s no time to dwell on it. The Champions League march goes on, and Bundesliga duty calls on Saturday with a clash in Bochum. A break would be nice with the packed schedule, but for now, we press on. If there’s one lesson to take away from this wild Anfield night, it’s how vital those last 30 minutes are in a place as intense as Liverpool. Xabi Alonso knew this wouldn’t be an easy task, but it’s these hard knocks that will only make us stronger.

A Night Without a Happy Ending

Friday night, under the lights in the BayArena, packed stands – and a goalless draw that no one saw coming. 0-0 against VfB Stuttgart, last season’s surprise runner-up. When Bayer 04 faces the Swabians, goals and excitement are usually guaranteed. Fast-paced back-and-forth play, often with a happy ending for the Werkself. But this time? Nothing! In the end, the score stayed at zero – not just in our goal but in theirs, too. It almost felt like a cruel joke, considering all the chances we had and the self-assured performance from our boys. Stuttgart came at us with their high pressing, determined to make life difficult, but what did the Werkself do? Pure dominance! Xabi Alonso’s game plan was spot on. We took control, ramped up the offensive engine, and the chances piled up. Only the net stayed empty. In the first half alone, we had some serious moments. Frimpong’s offside goal got our hearts racing for a second, only to bring us back down to reality. And when Tapsoba’s header hit the crossbar, we got that sinking feeling that the aluminum was going to be our toughest opponent tonight.

There are nights when you just feel it – the ball is not going in, and tonight was one of those. The second half started the same way the first ended – with pressure and chances for Leverkusen. We threw everything forward, and then, another post – this time from Boniface. How many times have we already been denied by the woodwork this season? Sometimes it feels like the goals themselves are conspiring against us. Even after our 17th attempt of the night, it was clear that Alexander Nübel and his defense were determined to send us home empty-handed. A defensive wall from Swabia that we just couldn’t break.

To be fair, it was a powerful defensive display from our team. Tah and Tapsoba made sure nothing got through at the back. Stuttgart didn’t manage a single shot for a long time, and beyond that, not much else worked for them either. It wasn’t that the Swabians lacked ideas – it was more that our boys stayed so focused on defense, putting pressure on them early and barely letting them breathe. No real threats materialized, and Hradecky could almost have had a relaxed evening. Only we fans waited for that goal and felt the tension every time the Werkself pushed forward.

Luckily, despite the frustration, there are some positives. This match showed how solid we’ve become. It’s also reassuring to see that our defense is making almost no mistakes across the full 90 minutes – a sign of how far the team has come recently. But of course, with an offense that’s always going full throttle, you just expect goals. Now there’s the away game in Liverpool around the corner, and it’s going to be anything but easy. We’ll need a bit more efficiency up front to withstand the heat at Anfield. But either way, the Werkself has shown us again that they can keep up on any stage – now all we need is a bit of luck.