Eliminated from the German Cup by third-division Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday, Leverkusen needed a win to stay six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who won 3-1 at Augsburg on Friday.

Xabi Alonso's side looked out of ideas in attack against the relegation candidates without the creative spark of injured midfielder Florian Wirtz.

However, as they have done so often under the Spaniard, Leverkusen scored in injury time to grab all three points, Buendia curling home from outside the box on 91 minutes.

The goal was Buendia's first since arriving on loan from Aston Villa and may prove crucial to Leverkusen's hopes of catching up with an injury-ravaged Bayern side.