Florian Wirtz fired Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten pacesetters ahead after only two minutes at Stade Europa-Park and, after Ritsu Doan promptly equalised, Leverkusen went ahead once more through Adam Hlozek shortly before the break.

Patrik Schick put daylight between the sides with a 54th-minute strike only for Yannik Keitel to jangle the visitors’ nerves with his first Freiburg goal in the 79th minute.

With only eight games of the season remaining, Leverkusen – also chasing DFB-Pokal and Europa League glory – could claim their maiden Bundesliga crown before the end of April.

Bayer wasted no time getting stuck into their hosts. Alejandro Grimaldo fed Wirtz as he burst into the box on the left and, after dodging a few tackles and switching to his right boot, he slotted in an early opener.

Freiburg were level in the 10th minute, however, as Japanese winger Doan snuck into the right side of the Bayer box to collect a one-two pass from Lucas Holer, switch feet and hammer home at the near post.

Leverkusen toiled in pursuit of another goal until the 40th minute when Czech Republic international Hlozek pounced on a loose ball and tucked it away right-footed.

It was Hlozek’s Czech mate who got among the goals soon after play resumed, with Schick boosting Leverkusen further clear after racing on to a Jeremie Frimpong cross and clipping the ball into the top-left corner.

But Freiburg would make it a contest heading into the last 10 minutes as former Germany Under-21 star Keitel grabbed another for the hosts with a precision finish from the edge of the six-yard box.

With four home games remaining and four away – only one match is against a current top-four side, Stuttgart at the BayArena on April 27 – Die Werkself are closer than ever to breaking their ‘Vizekusen’ curse.