LEVERKUSEN, Germany, Jan 10 (Reuters) - VfB Stuttgart fired four goals past hapless hosts Bayer Leverkusen in a lop-sided first half on Saturday to cruise to a 4-1 Bundesliga victory after the three-week winter break.
The visitors completely dismantled Leverkusen in the opening half as Jamie Leweling scored twice before the hosts pulled one back with a 66th-minute Alex Grimaldo penalty.
Stuttgart climbed to 29 points in fifth place, level on points with Leverkusen in fourth and third-placed RB Leipzig, who have a game in hand following the postponement of their match at St Pauli due to snow. Borussia Dortmund are second on 33 with leaders Bayern Munich, on 41, playing VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Stuttgart stunned the home crowd when Leweling drilled in for a 10th-minute lead. Leverkusen struggled to find a way back into the game and it was Stuttgart who scored again with Maximilian Mittelstaedt sending keeper Mark Flekken the wrong way to convert his 29th-minute penalty.
Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel did well to stop an Ezequiel Fernandez shot with a one-handed save in the hosts' best chance in the first half but it got worse before the break with the visitors scoring twice.
Leweling found just enough space to unleash an unstoppable shot and Deniz Undav bagged another deep in stoppage time to compound Leverkusen's first-half misery.
Grimaldo converted his spot-kick but it was only a small consolation for the hosts.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
