Leverkusen were given an early scare when Tim Lemperle rifled a long-range strike onto the post, but it was Jarell Quansah who struck first for the hosts.
Quansah, the summer signing from Liverpool, met Álex Grimaldo's perfectly-weighted set piece with a brilliant downward header which flew past Oliver Baumann, marking his Bundesliga debut in style.
It was a goal of alarming simplicity from Hoffenheim’s perspective, continuing their woes at the back after having the second-worst defensive record in the division last season.
That frustration was short-lived though, as Christian Ilzer’s men restored parity thanks to Fisnik Asllani, after the Kosovo international was played in by Bazoumana Touré and unleashed a ferocious angled finish past Mark Flekken.
Ten Hag’s side were undeterred, however, and they nearly retook the lead with almost a carbon copy of their opener. Another devilish Grimaldo free-kick flew into the box, which Kōki Machida almost headed into his own net whilst under pressure from Quansah, but Baumann came to the rescue.
The Kraichgauers’ keeper was called into action again moments later, making a superb reflex save to deny Piero Hincapié from close range, and Christian Ilzer would have been delighted with his side’s gritty first-half performance.
That said, he was dealt a blow when Machida was forced off injured before half time, and Wouter Burger also did not come back out for the second half after appearing to take a knock late on in the first half, further stretching Hoffenheim’s resources against one of the Bundesliga’s elite sides.
Yet, despite the odds seemingly being stacked against the visitors, Lemperle turned the match on its head to give Hoffenheim the lead after drilling home an excellent right-footed strike from distance.
Asllani played an integral role in the build-up, expertly bringing the ball down and teeing up Lemperle to score his first goal for the club since arriving from FC Köln last month.
Ten Hag’s men pressed forward in response, but Nathan Tella could only find the side netting from Patrik Schick’s ball across the box.
Leverkusen’s attempts to equalise were surprisingly meek, and they are now winless in their last four Bundesliga games (D2, L2) after a German top-flight bow that Ten Hag would rather forget.
Worse still, they’ve also given rivals Bayern Munich a three-point headstart in the title race, and will need to improve greatly in their quest to win a second championship in three seasons.
Meanwhile, the Kraichgauers ended a five-match winless run of their own (D2, L3), and on this evidence, they will be confident of improving on their 15th-place finish in 2024/25.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Fisnik Asllani (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)