Enjoying the most prolific start to a league season of his career is particularly remarkable given how persistent injury setbacks had severely interrupted his previous campaigns in Germany. Now fully fit and firing, the attacker looks well capable of challenging his personal best of 24 league goals, achieved during the 2021-22 season.
Beyond individual accolades, Sunday's result continued Die Werkself's impressive recovery under manager Carles Martinez Novell following an opening-day defeat to Elversberg, taking their recent haul to 13 points from a possible 15.
Level on points with Freiburg in fourth place, Leverkusen sit just a single point adrift of leaders Bayern, firmly cementing their credentials as genuine title contenders.