Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said it was “too early” to write off his side’s title defence despite dropping more points in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen. Leverkusen led twice but were pegged back on both occasions, including conceding their second in the 90th minute. Last season, Leverkusen dropped just 12 points on the way to an unbeaten Bundesliga title. However, Alonso’s side have already dropped nine this campaign. They sit five points behind league leaders RB Leipzig but despite the setbacks, Alonso said his side still had time. 

“Now in October, it’s too early,” Alonso said when asked about Leverkusen’s hopes of defending their title. 

“We want to be more consistent and when we get to that level, we will pick up more points.

“Anything can happen in the table… there’s too many matches to come.”

While Leverkusen continue to fire up front, they have been leaky at the back, conceding 15 goals in eight games compared to 24 in 34 games last season.

And the champions are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this term.

“We want the feeling that we can control the game, that we don’t give away chances to the opponent,” Alonso said. 

“We didn’t do that well today.

“We gave Bremen the chances and made it too easy — it’s not good and I’m of course not satisfied.”

Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka agreed it was “too early” to say the race was run, but was frustrated at his side’s failure to see out the match. 

“If you don’t kill the game, you concede — it’s very simple in football,” Xhaka told the Bundesliga website. 

“It should not be possible that we go in front twice and still don’t win the game. It’s not enough like this — we need to see the reality at the moment.”

Michael Olise had a hand in four goals and Harry Kane scored again as Bayern Munich ran riot to win 5-0 at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Olise, who arrived from Crystal Palace in the summer, scored twice and laid on two more in the win, while Kane had a goal to go with his two assists. The big win continued Bayern’s stunning week, with a 6-1 win at promoted Holstein Kiel followed by a 9-2 home victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

Kane created Olise’s 23rd-minute opener and the goalscorer then turned provider, dribbling down the right and threading a perfect pass for Jamal Musiala to score shortly afterwards.

Olise then assisted Kane’s 57th-minute goal, the England captain’s 10th goal so far for Bayern this season in six games all competitions.

Olise scored again and Kane set up Serge Gnabry to make it five against Bremen, whose only win against Bayern dating back to 2008 came this January in Munich.

Kane scored his first Bundesliga goal on debut at Bremen in August last year and now has 41 league strikes, more than any other English player.

“We’ve got so much quality up front and we’re having fun playing football,” Musiala told Sky, adding “but we will face tougher opponents.”

Bayern host champions Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday.

Fellow top-four rivals Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart and RB Leipzig all play on Sunday, but Bayern are guaranteed to finish the weekend in top spot as the only side to have won all four of their opening league matches.

Two goals in the opening six minutes put Union Berlin on course for a 2-1 win at home against Hoffenheim.

Tom Rothe and Jeong Woo-yeong scored early for the home side but a 67th-minute goal from former Union forward Marius Buelter set things up for a nervy finish in the German capital.

Union however dug deep to win their second match of the season and keep their unbeaten record alive, while Hoffenheim have lost their past three in the league.

Freiburg scored three second-half goals to win 3-0 at Heidenheim, with Italy midfielder Vincenzo Grifo getting a double after Ritsu Doan opened the scoring.

An 89th-minute goal from Shuto Machino snared a 2-2 draw for Holstein Kiel at Bochum, giving the promoted side their first-ever points in the top division.

Kiel took the lead through a Benedikt Pichler goal after 15 minutes but Matus Bero and Lukas Daschner both scored to give Bochum a 2-1 advantage at halftime.

Later on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt host Borussia Moenchengladbach.