Marco Rose’s men, unbeaten in 18 matches in all competitions ahead of kick-off, drew first blood in spectacular fashion, as Benjamin Henrichs’ powerful long-range effort left Frederik Ronnow powerless to stop it from hitting the back of the net despite getting a hand to it.
Urs Fischer’s men were uncharacteristically quiet in the first half, only forcing Janis Blaswich into one brilliant save to deny Sheraldo Becker his eighth league goal of the season, ensuring the visitors trailed at the break.
Fischer had clearly got into his players during the break as his side started the second half firmly on top of Leipzig, and deservedly equalised through an absolute wonder strike.
Niko Giesselmann’s corner was cleared away as far as Janik Haberer on the edge of the area, and he connected beautifully with a ferocious volley past the stranded Blaswich.
Momentum was now firmly with the visitors. and it would only take 11 minutes for them to turn parity into a lead. A moment of madness from Mohamed Simakan saw the Frenchman handle the ball inside the area and concede a penalty.
Robin Knoche stepped up from 12 yards and made no mistake, setting up a grandstand finish at the RB Arena.
Leipzig thought they had drawn level with 10 minutes to play when Marcel Halstenberg picked out substitute Yussuf Poulsen in the box who promptly poked home.
However, following a VAR review, it was ruled out for the tightest of offsides to give Union a reprieve. Inspired by this let-off, the visitors’ trademark defending came to the fore as they saw out a crucial victory that stokes the title fire even further.
A showdown with Bayern awaits in just two weeks time for Union, while Leipzig now trail the leaders by seven points after losing a first Bundesliga game since September.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Janik Haberer (Union Berlin)
