Bayer Leverkusen celebrate Edmond Tapsoba's second-half goal in Sunday's 2-0 win over Freiburg.

Leverkusen (Germany) (AFP) - Bayer Leverkusen found some solace at home on Sunday after a Champions League humbling by Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

Dismantled 7-2 by the European champions at the same venue five days ago, Leverkusen got back to winning ways thanks to strikes by Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba either side of the break.

The victory took the 2023-24 double winners to fourth spot in the table, two points clear of Stuttgart, who host lowly Mainz in Sunday’s final match.

Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann told DAZN his side “shook off the 7-2 defeat” to PSG with Sunday’s victory.

Leverkusen have now won four in a row in the Bundesliga as part of a seven-match domestic unbeaten run.

Coach Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag two games into the league season, is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga.

The loss was Freiburg’s first in the league since August.

These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in May but only three players who started for Leverkusen on Sunday were at the club last season.

After 22 minutes, Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia played a clever one-two with Poku, who hit a low shot into the bottom right corner to give the hosts the lead.

It was the eighth time in eight league games this season Leverkusen have scored first.

The hosts doubled up seven minutes into the second half when Tapsoba muscled through the Freiburg defence to head in an Alejandro Grimaldo cross.

With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg were reduced to 10 men when Philipp Lienhart picked up a second yellow.

“I feel everything was decided even before the red card. It feels good,” Hofmann added of Leverkusen’s performance.