Kasper Hjulmand felt luck was against Bayer Leverkusen in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Union Berlin and has tasked his team with picking themselves up quickly.

Rani Khedira's dinked finish in the 28th minute was enough to hand Union all three points at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, as Leverkusen missed the chance to move into the Bundesliga's top four.

That result halted the Werkself's four-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga (three wins, one draw), while it was their first loss to Union since January 2021.

Leverkusen had 16 shots to Union's eight, but they only hit the target with one of those efforts. They also edged the expected goals (xG) battle by 0.94 to 0.55.

"We knew it would be a difficult game. It's not easy to play here. We actually played a decent game," Hjulmand told Leverkusen's media channels.

"That goal we conceded made a big difference because they then sat very deep, and we knew they would defend very well. 

"In the end, we lacked the luck, the final quality touch. But it's done now. Of course, we're disappointed, but we have to quickly put this game behind us. There are other important tasks ahead of us."

Khedira's goal came following a lapse in concentration from Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich, who took responsibility for the error in his own post-match interview.

"The game – as we expected – had no real rhythm, lots of interruptions, long balls and definitely, unfortunately, a mistake from me," Andrich said.

"I was in a good position at first. I anticipated the long ball, but then I got in front of him, underestimated the situation, and he went past me. That's clearly my fault. That's how you alter the game in a certain direction."

Leverkusen remain three points off the top four, and their next Bundesliga assignment sees them host Mainz next Saturday, with the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie against Olympiacos to come before then.

Andrich said: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past."