Liverpool bound Werner nets hat-trick in Mainz rout

Timo Werner bagged a hat-trick as RB Leipzig routed Mainz 5-0 behind closed doors on Sunday to climb to third in the German league table as the striker moved to within three goals of the Bundesliga’s top-scorer Robert Lewandowski.

It was the 24-year-old’s third Bundesliga hat-trick having also netted three times when Leipzig romped to an 8-0 home win against Mainz last November.

Werner’s treble leaves him on 24 goals, while Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski claimed his 27th Bundesliga goal this season in the league leader’s 5-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Leipzig’s victory was the tenth win for the visiting team in 17 matches since the Bundesliga restarted last weekend.

Werner opened the scoring in Mainz after 11 minutes when he converted a low cross.

Yussuf Poulsen then marked his 250th appearance for Leipzig by heading home a Marcel Sabitzer cross on 23 minutes.

The pair reversed roles for the third when Poulsen laid a pass off to Sabitzer who showed great finishing to make it 3-0 at the break.

Werner grabbed his second goal three minutes into the second-half when Kevin Kampl played him into the area.

The visitors were attacking at will when Kampl had a goal ruled out for offside soon after.

With 15 minutes left, Poulsen’s floated free-kick was met by Werner who volleyed past Mainz goalkeeper Florian Mueller to wrap up his hat-trick.

The win leaves Leipzig third and seven points behind leaders Bayern.

Augsburg also enjoyed an away win with a 3-0 romp at Schalke.

Schalke lose again

Heiko Herrlich enjoyed a perfect first Bundesliga game on the touchline as Augsburg coach, a week after he missed the loss to Wolfsburg because he broke quarantine rules to buy toothpaste.

David Wagner’s Schalke continued their slide down the table, falling to eighth following another poor defensive display.

Eduard Loewen, Noah Sarenren Bazee and Sergio Cordova scored as Augsburg moved seven points clear of the relegation play-off place.

“I’m totally happy,” said Herrlich, whose team host the league’s bottom side Paderborn on Wednesday.

“We’ll be celebrating quietly, because we don’t have much time.

“But we have managed to turn things around,” he added after Augsburg ended a run of four straight defeats.

Augsburg host Paderborn on Wednesday, the same day Schalke visit strugglers Fortuna Duesseldorf, who occupy the relegation play-off spot in 16th.