KIEL, Germany (AP) — Young players made their mark as Union Berlin's resurgence in the Bundesliga continued with a 2-0 win over struggling Holstein Kiel on Sunday.
Nineteen-year-old wing back Tom Rothe crossed for 20-year-old midfielder Aljoscha Kemlein to score his first senior goal with a header in the 18th minute. Rothe — who played a key role in Kiel earning promotion last season — made sure of the win when he headed in Union's second goal at a corner in the 85th.
The win lifts Union to fifth in the Bundesliga, three points off leader Bayern Munich. Union recorded back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since February.
Union stunned German soccer by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Champions League in 2023 but last season was a failure. Union was winless on its Champions League debut and finished 15th in the Bundesliga.
Promoted Kiel is in the relegation zone and is the only team yet to earn a point at home this season in the Bundesliga after losing its fourth home game in a row.
Also Sunday, Werder Bremen recovered from 1-0 down to beat Wolfsburg 4-2 and rise to eighth.
Tiago Tomas gave Wolfsburg the lead with his heel as the ball ricocheted around a packed penalty area, but Mitchell Weiser's volley deep into first-half added time got Bremen back into the game. Second-half goals from Bremen's Felix Agu, Marvin Ducksch and Marco Grüll secured the win.
Wolfsburg coach Ralph Hasenhüttl will also have to do without attacking midfielder Patrick Wimmer, who faces a suspension after being sent off for a desperate lunging tackle on Grüll.
Wolfsburg is 13th and has scored the opening goal in each of its last four Bundesliga games but won only one of them. It also has only one point in its four home games.
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Bremen's Mitchell Weiser, center, scores his side's first goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and SV Werder Bremen, in Wolfsburg, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)
Berlin's Tom Rothe, 2nd left, scores past Kiel's goalkeeper Timon Weiner during the Bundesliga soccer match between Holstein Kiel and 1. FC Union Berlin at Holstein Stadium, Kiel, Germany, Sunday Oct. 20, 2024. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)
Berlin's Aljoscha Kemlein, 3rd left, celebrates scoring with teammates during the Bundesliga soccer match between Holstein Kiel and 1. FC Union Berlin at Holstein Stadium, Kiel, Germany, Sunday Oct. 20, 2024. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)
Liverpool is looking more and more like Manchester City’s main title rival after beating resurgent Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday to stay top of the Premier League table.
After City needed an injury-time header from John Stones to beat last-place Wolves 2-1 in the early kickoff, Liverpool answered with a composed performance at Anfield to hand Chelsea its first league loss since the opening round.
Having seen third-place Arsenal lose at Bournemouth on Saturday to raise questions about the Gunners’ title hopes, Liverpool and City took full advantage to build a small gap atop the standings. Arne Slot’s team leads on 21 points from eight games, one ahead of City and four above Arsenal.
Curtis Jones orchestrated the win for Liverpool, earning a penalty for Mohamed Salah’s first-half opener and then scoring himself to restore the host’s lead in the 51st minute, shortly after Nicolas Jackson had equalized for Chelsea.
Liverpool was the last team other than City to win the title, in 2019-20, and pushed Pep Guardiola’s team to the very end several times under Jurgen Klopp before finishing just fifth two years ago and a distant third last season.
In Slot’s first season in charge, though, the Reds are looking like credible challengers again and have now won 10 of 11 games in all competitions.
And City is looking far from unbeatable, needing another last-gasp goal from Stones to avoid a third league draw in four games against a Wolves team that only has one point so far.
It also needed a VAR intervention for the goal to stand, as referee Chris Kavanagh was called to the sideline monitor to review whether Bernardo Silva was interfering with goalkeeper Jose Sa from an offside position.
“We are not used to winning games at the end,” said Guardiola, whose team has won four straight league titles by regularly overwhelming most opponents. “It is a good flavor for us.”
It also extended City’s unbeaten streak to a club-record 31 league games, beating a mark Guardiola’s team had set in 2018.
With prolific striker Erling Haaland held scoreless for a third straight league game, City’s defenders provided the goals instead after Jorgen Strand Larsen had given the hosts a surprising early lead in the seventh minute.
Josko Gvardiol curled in a superb right-foot shot from outside the area to equalize in the 33rd minute but Wolves then repelled wave after wave of City attacks before the late intervention from Stones, who also netted a last-gasp equalizer against Arsenal in the eighth minute of injury time last month.
“These moments don’t come often for us,” Stones said. “We’ve come up with a few over the years and today was one of them.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Liverpool's manager Arne Slot waits for the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Liverpool's Curtis Jones, right, scores his side's second goal past Chelsea's goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Liverpool's Curtis Jones celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Manchester City's John Stones celebrates after the VAR confirmed his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City's Josko Gvardio is congratulated by Mateo Kovacic after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City's Rico Lewis gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jorgen Strand Larsen, right, celebrates scoring with teammates during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Sunday Oct. 20, 2024. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol, left, celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City's John Stones, top left, scores his side's 2nd goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
