Stuttgart leapfrogged Bayer Leverkusen in the race for a top-four Bundesliga finish as they fought back to defeat their direct rivals 3-1 at MHPArena.

The visitors made a dream start, taking the lead inside the first minute as Stuttgart lost the ball in their own half, with Christian Kofane setting up Aleix Garcia to score.

However, the home side were back on level terms within four further minutes, with intricate play on the edge of the box leading to Nikolas Nartey sliding a pass through to Ermedin Demirovic, who made no mistake with an emphatic finish.

The hosts were denied a penalty after 20 minutes following a strong challenge from Edmond Tapsoba on Angelo Stiller inside the area, while they also went close to scoring moments later as Demirovic was set up by Chris Fuhrich, and his attempt was thwarted by a fabulous block from Tapsoba.

Mark Flekken was called into action late in the first half, making a terrific one-handed save to stop a close-range effort from Demirovic, who stretched the Leverkusen backline throughout the first 45 minutes. 

And Demirovic won a penalty in first-half stoppage time when he was tripped by Tapsoba, with Maximilian Mittelstadt converting after a VAR review upheld the decision.

The dangerous Demirovic continued to threaten in the second half, as he had a goal disallowed for offside.

But Stuttgart got the clinching goal in the 57th minute as Deniz Undav scored from close range, having been picked out by a brilliant cross from Jamie Leweling.

Both Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are now three points clear of Leverkusen going into the final matchday, with the three sides battling for one Champions League spot.

Data Debrief: Demirovic integral to big Stuttgart win

Demirovic was a constant threat to the Leverkusen defence, scoring the crucial equaliser and winning the penalty for the second goal – he had six shots in total, with all of them coming from inside the box.

It was a deserved win for Stuttgart, as they overcame a tough start to end the match with an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.78 compared to just 0.56 for their opponents, also out-shooting Leverkusen by 20 to six.

The result could have been even more comfortable for the hosts if it wasn't for the performance of Flekken, with the goalkeeper making five saves in a league match for the first time since January.