Freiburg travelled to the Red Bull Arena without a win in their last two in the league whilst Leipzig came into this match off the back of one of their worst performances this season against Mainz.
The result marked RB Leipzig's return to form and placed them in the top four for the first time since September. Leipzig had clear quality and this proved to put them a level above their opponents in the Sunday evening matchup despite both teams having chances.
As for Freiburg, they struggled once again despite drawing level just before half-time and are currently on a streak of three games without a win in the Bundesliga.
Goals from Xavi Simons, Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner ensured three points after coming back from 1-1 at half time thanks to an incredible Merlin Röhl strike.
Leipzig: Form in-front of goal continues
Leipzig have been clinical in-front of net this whole season scoring 28 goals and thus averaging over 2 goals per game in a Bundesliga season which has seen the highest goal per game average in the top 5 leagues.
However, in this game in particular, Leipzig overperformed their xG by over 1 goal and this was aided by moments of brilliance by Xavi Simons as he struck a wonder goal from outside the box.
Leipzig currently stand as the team in the Bundesliga with the highest shot efficiency (+10) and this has proved to propel them into a Champions League spot before the international break.
This proved that the signing of key players who can take their chances like Loïs Openda (who sits third in the race for the Torjägerkanone) sets Leipzig apart from other teams in the league.
His return in form after a poor Mainz game, albeit through a penalty, has definitely helped Leipzig to reignite their shooting form.
Freiburg: Too little class in final third
Freiburg have disappointed all season in their scoring, but this must hurt even more knowing they only registered 3 shots on target the whole match.
Freiburg's deficiency in scoring goals meant Leipzig could just close out the game with little worries of conceding late and the tie taking a turn in Freiburg's favour.
Worryingly, Freiburg have dropped to 14th in the Bundesliga for goals this campaign and this puts them below teams like Heidenheim and Augsburg who have been struggling at points this season in the lower ends of the table.
Vincenzo Grifo, Freiburg's key player, struggled in the game on Sunday and only registered one single shot on target as well as conceded the penalty which Lois Openda converted by bringing down Christoph Baumgartner in the penalty area.
Despite all this, Freiburg still managed to outperform their xG due to a wonderful mazy run by Merlin Röhl as he took the ball from inside his own half and dribbled past multiple defenders to score a certain goal of the week contender.
This perhaps suggests that not enough is being done to create chances for Freiburg's strikers when Grifo isn't playing well as they rely too heavily on their captain for chances.
Leipzig: Xavi Simons is their MVP
Xavi Simons impressed once again on Sunday tallying a goal and an assist and standing out as the best player on the pitch by some margin.
His goal was one of superb accuracy and precision as well as enormous quality as he guided the ball into the bottom right corner from a position just outside of the box.
Xavi Simons has destroyed defences in the Bundesliga over his first few months with his tentative dribbling and long-range efforts but more impressive than this is his playmaking ability.
With another assist on Sunday he is well on-course to break Thomas Müller's record of twenty assists in a Bundesliga season.
With seven assists this season, Simons has the Bundesliga's highest assist tally heading into the international break. Also, with eleven goal contributions this campaign, Simons is Leipzig's joint-highest goal contributor this season (tied with Loïs Openda).
Freiburg: The goal is to finish top-half
Freiburg have had some brilliant Bundesliga campaigns in recent years but this season seems to be little more than one of transition.
Finishing 5th last season, Freiburg qualified for the Europa League and currently sit level on points with West Ham and have all but secured their spot in the knockout stages.
Alternatively, it could be said that Freiburg have a chance to climb up the table with bottom half teams like Köln, Mainz and Darmstadt still to play.
Despite this, their focus will strongly be on European football and it looks unlikely that they will make a significant push up the table with the volume of games they still have to play in both competitions.
In a Bundesliga campaign where we have seen teams like Union Berlin drop to bottom of the Bundesliga with added pressures of European football being applied, it is vital that Freiburg also maintain their Bundesliga spot in mid-table and do not drop further down the Bundesliga.
