Having fallen to a humiliating 6-0 defeat in October’s reverse fixture, the hosts knew an improved display was needed against their in-form opponents.
FC Koln came close to an early opener when Faride Alidou headed wide from close range and that missed opportunity was soon punished on the quarter-hour mark, with Xavi Simons dispatching a clinical finish into the bottom corner after a neat lay-off from Benjamin Sesko.
Undeterred, the hosts found a swift response just three minutes later, as Eric Martel’s flick made its way through to Sargis Adamyan at the back post, who rifled home for his first league goal of the season.
Determined to restore their lead, Leipzig probed for the game’s third goal as the first half progressed, but wasteful finishing from Dani Olmo, Benjamin Henrichs, and Sesko kept the scores level at the break.
The visitors’ profligacy in front of goal continued into the early stages of the second half, with several attacks breaking down in the final third.
However, the Leipzig pressure finally told shortly after the hour mark when Openda latched onto a pass from Simons and finished coolly beyond Marvin Schwabe.
The Belgian striker doubled his tally four minutes later, powering home a superb header from David Raum’s delivery to score his 23rd of a hugely impressive debut campaign.
That quickfire double all but ended Cologne’s hopes of getting anything from the contest and Marco Rose’s men added a fourth with 20 minutes remaining, as Amadou Haidara’s low strike from the edge of the box nestled in the bottom corner.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down, with Leipzig adding further gloss to the scoreline through substitute Yussuf Poulsen’s well-taken effort in the closing stages.
The visitors earn a fourth win in five league matches, while Cologne remain seven points adrift of safety with just eight games remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig)
