For global cohomology classes satisfying the local basis criterion for Leray-Hirsch classes, multiplication commutes with the Mayer–Vietoris sequence, including its connecting homomorphism: multiply cochains on the right by global cocycle representatives. Induct over a finite trivializing open cover. If is a union of patches and is the last patch, has a cover by at most trivialized intersections. The induction hypothesis on , and , followed by the Five lemma, proves the theorem on . A compact base supplies the finite cover.
For an open subset , let and define the degree-preserving module map
Using the prescribed fiber basis identifies its domain with the tensor product in the question. We prove that is an isomorphism, giving the Leray-Hirsch theorem in this setting.
First suppose is a trivializing patch. The cohomological Künneth theorem over a field identifies with the finite free graded -module on a homogeneous basis of . The required finiteness is supplied by the finite list spanning the fiber's total cohomology. Express the restrictions of the in this product basis. A coefficient multiplying a fiber basis element of degree belongs to ; thus no coefficient can increase fiber degree. The degree-zero blocks are invertible on every path component, because restriction at every point gives a basis. Their inverses are again degree-zero cohomology classes.
After inverting those blocks, the remaining change-of-basis map is , where strictly lowers fiber degree. There are only finitely many fiber degrees, so is nilpotent and is a finite sum. This proves the local basis criterion for Leray-Hirsch classes and therefore the isomorphism on every trivializing patch, without requiring the patch to be contractible.
Now use a finite trivializing open cover , supplied by compactness of . Induct on . Put and . The intersection is covered by the at most trivializing open sets , so the induction hypothesis applies to , and .
Take the direct sum of shifted Mayer–Vietoris sequences for the base and compare it with the sequence for . Restriction commutes with multiplication by each global cohomology class . The connecting homomorphism also commutes: multiply the cochain representatives on the right by the restriction of a global cocycle representing , and use . Consequently the maps form a morphism of exact sequences. The Five lemma makes an isomorphism, completing the finite-cover proof of the Leray-Hirsch theorem.
This is an additive graded module isomorphism. It does not assert that the fiber classes have the same multiplicative relations in the total space.