Manuel Neuer happy to return for Bayern Munich-Hertha Berlin, but rues no clean sheet

It wasn’t pretty, and they made hard work of it, but Bayern Munich continued their winning streak in the Bundesliga with a hard fought, 3-2 win at Hertha Berlin. A brace from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and a goal from Jamal Musiala was just enough for Julian Nagelsmann’s side to secure another vital three points.

Manuel Neuer was one of three Bayern players — alongside Leroy Sane and Lucas Hernandez — making a return to action after a spell on the sidelines. It was a nice run for Sven Ulreich between the sticks, but Neuer is back to #JustNeuerThings — taking care of business:

After the match, Neuer expressed his delight at returning to the field.

“It was nice to be back on the pitch,” he told Sky (via @iMiaSanMia). “I would have wished for a clean sheet, but there was a lot of tension today. I feel very good, I have no problems, there are a few tweaks here and there, but I was able to play without restrictions.”

Per WhoScored, Neuer registered a total of four saves from six shots on goal — three of which came from Dodi Lukebakio, who scored Hertha’s first goal of the match in extraordinary fashion.

Arguably, the best of Neuer’s saves came midway through the first half when he did exceptionally well to parry away a left-footed, curling effort from Marco Richter that was heading into the upper left corner.

It was a long, sometimes fraught return from his recent shoulder pains, but the captain is back — and looking as strong as ever.

Interested in more analysis of the game? Why not check out our postgame podcast? We talk about the Davies injury, Mazraoui, Choupo-Moting for the Ballon d’Or, the World Cup, and more! Listen to it below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all the support!