Portugal striker Andre Silva chalked up a brace in the first half, while former Chelsea forward Timo Werner scored on his return to the starting XI. Silva opened the scoring after seven minutes, ignoring an unmarked Werner on a fast Leipzig break to fire home from long-range.

The visitors scored on the counter again just eight minutes later, with Olmo finding defender Benjamin Henrichs in acres of space on the edge of the box. Olmo had a go himself after 44 minutes, rocketing a low shot directly at Schalke keeper Alex Schwolow, which rebounded to Silva for an easy tap-in.

Werner scored his first goal since returning from a leg injury which ruled him out of the Qatar World Cup in first-half injury time, tapping in a low Olmo cross to put Leipzig 4-0 up at halftime. Schalke, who were booed off the pitch at halftime, showed more fight early in the second stanza, with Japanese midfielder Soichiro Kozuki scoring his first goal in just his second appearance for the club in the 56th minute.

Olmo then scored a goal of his own, drifting in a curling shot from outside the box which floated over the fingertips of Schwolow. Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen added a sixth in the last minute of regular time to seal the visitors' biggest league win of the season.

Leipzig are now unbeaten in their last 15 matches in all competitions dating back to September 2022, having won 12 and drawn three. The loss sees Schalke stranded in last place, six points from safety, having played one game more than their likely relegation rivals. In Tuesday's late games, Bayern Munich have a chance to extend their lead on top of the table to six points when they host Cologne, while Wolfsburg face Hertha in Berlin and Stuttgart travel to play Hoffenheim.

January 24, 2023

S. Kozuki

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