THE FEWEST GOALS CONCEDED IN LALIGA, AND THE SECOND MOST CLEAN SHEETS IN EUROPE

Three points are always important, but, after such a difficult week, these three points are worth so much more. Sevilla FC came out on top in Bilbao against Athletic Club thanks to a first-half beauty from Delaney, which means that, at this stage of the tournament, the team have the second-highest points tally in the club's history. Despite the fact that Athletic created numerous opportunities and will be wondering how they did not score, Julen Lopetegui's side dug deep and kept a clean sheet, which further improves the team's defensive numbers this season. 

Both sides had headed into this match with the same number of goals conceded, but the 1-0 win at San Mamés means that Sevilla FC have now conceded the fewest goals in LaLiga, conceding 11 goals at 0.69 per match. Of those eleven goals, only three came in the second half: twice against Levante UD and once away at Real Madrid. No side has conceded fewer after the interval. Also, the eleven goals conceded in the first sixteen matches equals the club record, which was set back in the 1982/83 season. 

Sevilla have the second-highest clean sheet percentage in Europe's top five leagues in 2021, with over 50%

As well as that, Bono, who made some crucial saves to keep Athletic Club at bay, picked up another clean sheet, the team's ninth in LaLiga this season, which means the team now draw level with Real Sociedad for most clean sheets in the league. In Europe's top five leagues, they have kept the same number as Manchester City and Napoli, while only Liverpool have more to their name, with ten. Sevilla also have the second highest clean sheet percentage in Europe's top five leagues in the whole of 2021, over 50%, with only Chelsea bettering them. 

It's clear to see: this Sevilla FC are incredibly tough to score against, let alone defeat. Despite all the adversities that the team faced both in Bilbao and during the build-up to the match, they were still able to dig deep and secure the win, a fact that Julen Lopetegui was keen to point out at full time last night. They also notched up these impressive defensive statistics, a frequent feature since Lopetegui took charge at the start of the 2019/20 season.