Dominant spells and aggressive pressing collapsed under defensive lapses at the BayArena, exposing a recurring inability to convert promising road performances into clinical, match-winning results.
RB Leipzig did not leave Leverkusen with nothing to build on. That may be precisely what makes Sunday's 2-0 defeat so frustrating.
For long stretches at the BayArena, Martín Demichelis' side looked like a team capable of competing with one of the Bundesliga's leading clubs. The Red Bulls pressed aggressively, played on the front foot and, particularly during the opening half, made life uncomfortable for Bayer Leverkusen.
But football at this level is rarely decided by how convincing a team looks for 40 minutes.
It is decided by what happens in the decisive moments.
Leipzig failed there again.
Patrik Schick's opening goal arrived just before half-time, when Miguel Gutiérrez was given too much freedom to deliver a cross and Schick attacked it perfectly. The second came early in the second half after a sequence of defensive mistakes allowed Miguel to finish.
Two moments. Two goals.
For Die Roten Bullen, that has become a familiar story away from home.
The defeat in Leverkusen followed losses at Werder Bremen and Como, meaning the team has now suffered three defeats in its last four competitive matches. More importantly, those defeats have followed a similar pattern: Leipzig can produce stretches of good football but struggle to turn that performance into goals, while mistakes at the other end prove disproportionately costly.
David Raum's assessment after the game captured the contradiction. RB believed they played well in the first half, but their pressure did not translate into enough danger around the Leverkusen goal.
That distinction matters.
Pressing high and recovering possession is only the beginning. The next action has to hurt the opponent. Leipzig often had the energy and aggression to disrupt Die Werkself, but too frequently the move ended before it became a genuine scoring opportunity.
Even when they did create something, they could not sustain the threat.
Christopher Nkunku thought he had given Leipzig the breakthrough in the first half, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Ezechiel Banzuzi also tested Leverkusen early, while Neil El Aynaoui forced Mark Flekken into action after the interval. But the overall attacking output was not enough to make Leverkusen uncomfortable once the Werkself had established the lead.
That is where Leipzig's away performances are becoming difficult to dismiss as bad luck.
Demichelis has repeatedly asked his team to play with courage and intensity. The first half in Leverkusen suggested that message is being absorbed. Yet the next step is learning how to turn that courage into control and chances.
The young squad is still adapting to a new coach and a different tactical approach. Injuries have also complicated the process, with Assan Ouédraogo, Christoph Baumgartner, and Rocco Reitz among the midfield options unavailable, while Brajan Gruda was forced off against Leverkusen after taking a knock to his hip.
Those circumstances matter. But they cannot explain everything.
Leipzig's ambition is to compete for Champions League football. Matches against direct rivals such as Leverkusen are therefore more than useful tests of a new project. They are opportunities to establish whether this team can perform when the margins become smaller.
In Leverkusen, Demichelis' side showed that they can compete. They did not show that they could punish.
And until that changes, performances like this will continue to end with the same feeling: Leipzig were close, but never quite dangerous enough.
