Fact Check: Best stats from this weekend's European footballing action

European football and its subsequent stats continue to entertain fans worldwide with some headline-grabbing games over the weekend. While the title race in two of Europe's top-five leagues looks done and dusted (La Liga and Serie A), we got to see the title race reinvigorated in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

In England, Arsenal took charge of the title race by pummeling Crystal Palace. With Manchester City out of action until April due to FA Cup commitments and the international break, Arsenal's late push could be vital in the title race.

Elsewhere, Newcastle took advantage of Liverpool's absence to widen the gap between them in the race for the top four places. Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur dropped points in a seemingly unpredictable top-four race.

In Spain, Barcelona laid down a marker by beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-1 at Camp Nou. The Catalans are 12 points clear at the top and will be looking to win their first league title since 2019. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid swept Valencia aside and Real Sociedad also won to keep their top-four hopes alive.

Inter Milan's third loss in four Serie A games in Italy saw them slip to third place and in a drag race against other competitors for a top-four finish. Meanwhile, Lazio won against Roma to jump to second spot, whereas Atalanta's win, coupled with Milan's loss, added more uncertainty to a topsy-turvy top-four race.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern saw their advantage at the top reduced to a one-point deficit with a defeat against Xabi Alonso's resurgent Bayer Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund's return to the top spot with an impressive win over FC Köln swings the momentum in favor of BVB, who visit Bayern post the international break.

In France, PSG's erratic form post their Champions League elimination could see them dragged into an unlikely battle for the Ligue 1 title. With Marseille only seven points behind, PSG need to pick themselves up to salvage a bad season from getting worse.

So, without further ado, let's look at the best stats from this weekend's European Football Action:

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Premier League

• Arsenal have won 22 out of the 28 games played in the Premier League this season. This is the Gunners' best-ever return from the first 28 games of the season. With each passing game, the Gunners are improving their stats considerably
• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 28 home games (W15, D13) against Everton in the English top-flight. It's their longest run against a Premier League club in their history.
• Spurs have conceded 14 away goals post the World Cup break, with the north London club winning only twice in their last seven away games in the Premier League (D3, L3).
• Tottenham have had 162 different scorers in the Premier League history, with only West Ham United (164) having more different goal scorers in the competition's history.
• Bukayo Saka has become the first player from the Premier League to get 10 goals and 10 assists in League play this season. Impressive stats from the young Englishman.

LaLiga

• Barcelona has become the first club to register 100 wins against Real Madrid. The Catalans have produced some mighty stats during their title charge but none gets bigger than this.
• Barcelona has won three consecutive El Clasico games for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
• Ronald Araujo's own goal was the first in a La Liga El Clasico since Barcelona's Pedrag Spasic in 1991. Overall, it's only the sixth own goal scored ever in La Liga El Clasico games.
• Alejandro Balde's five assists this season are the joint-highest by a defender this season.

Serie A

• Napoli have kept six successive clean sheets in Serie A, doing so for the first time in their Serie A history. Napoli's stats keep getting better and better.
• Victor Osimhen has scored 21 goals in Serie A this season, tying with Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan in 2010-11) as the most scored by an African player in a single Serie A campaign.
• Juventus have kept clean sheets in two consecutive games against Inter for the first time since 2017.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the oldest goalscorer in Serie A's history (41 years and 166 days), overtaking Alessandro Costacurta (41 years and 25 days, in May 2007). Brilliant longevity shown by the big Swede!
• Inter have lost nine of their first 27 games of a Serie A campaign for the second time this century, after 11 defeats in the 2011-12 season.

Bundesliga

• Bayern Munich snapped their streak of 29 consecutive Bundesliga games without losing (W22, D7) after scoring the first goal. The last time they lost after scoring first was against VFL Bochum in February 2022.
• Marco Reus has become the 16th player in Bundesliga's history to reach 150 career goals.
• Borussia Dortmund have picked up 31 points in their last 13 Bundesliga games, the most by a Bundesliga side during the run.
• Six penalties have been awarded against Bayern this season, the biggest number they have conceded after matchday 25 since the 1979-80 season.
• RB Leipzig have conceded 17 goals from set pieces in Bundesliga this season, only behind Bochum that beat them this weekend!

Ligue 1

• PSG's loss to Rennes was their first home league defeat since Lionel Messi's arrival in 2021. Interestingly, PSG were the only team that didn't lose a home league game this season until the loss against Rennes. Worrying stats for the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
• PSG have lost four of the seven games (W2, D1) they have played against the current top five of Ligue 1, with two of those losses coming against Rennes.
• Marseille have accumulated 59 points in 28 games in Ligue 1, their best return after 28 games this century.

Stats courtesy: ESPN & WhoScored