Bayer Leverkusen strengthened their grip on top place in Group C, as they just about held off Zenit St Petersburg in a heated encounter in wintry Moscow.

Temperatures dropped to below 4 degrees Celcius at the Stadion Petrovski, but this did little to effect the high intensity and tempo early on in the clash. 13 minutes into the game, Zenit's Brazilian winger Hulk rocketed a costless kick out of Bernd Leno's reach, but his effort rattled the German goalkeepers right hand post in the process. The attempt seemed to spur the German outfit into action, with German international Karim Bellarabi scuffing a deflected effort wide after he was set up by Stefan Kiessling.

Russian striker Alexander Kerzhakov then proceeded to waste two glorious chances to open the scoring. After firing straight at Leno in a one-on-one, he was played through again a few minutes later after some silky football. He managed to take the ball around the oncoming keeper, but his heavy touch left him with an acute angle, and he failed to hit the target.

At half time, the 0-0 score-line was hard to believe, and the game was there for the taking for either side. Roger Schmidt introduced Josip Drmic in an attempt to add to Bayer's already dangerous attack, as his side looked to do the double over the Moscow side.

And the change had the desired effect. Bayer's attack attained that extra edge, and in the 68th minute they took the lead through an exceptional finish from South Korean Heung-Min Son, who bagged a brace last time the sides met. A costless kick routine straight from the training resulted in a costless shot for Son from 25 yards, and he duly obliged, whipping the ball past a helpless Igor Akinfeev for his fourth Champions League goal of the season.

Number five was just around the corner too. Just four minutes later, to be precise. Stefan Kiessling and Lars Bender combined well to set Son fre, and he calmly slotted home at the near post with his left foot to double the German's advantage. Andrés Villas Boas knew that all out attack was his side's only hope of forcing their way back into the game, and made three attacking substitutions in the final twenty minutes. 

These certainly paid dividends, and Zenit piled pressure onto Bayer's back-line. Eventually, the breakthrough came in the 89th minute, when Rondon finished superbly after linking up with fellow substitute Ryazantsev. Alas, it was a little too late, and Leverkusen held on to put broad daylight between themselves and their fellow group opposition. 

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Sean Tansley
Budding sports journalist and unbiased Liverpool fan.