Esposito's night and a win told by numbers: Inter vs. Lecce in stats

A narrow victory, but a crucial one. Inter beat Lecce 1-0 in the rescheduled matchday 16 fixture thanks to Pio Esposito's goal in the second half. With the added three points, the team solidified their spot at the top of the table on 46 points. At San Siro, it was once again the Nerazzurri's collective solidity that secured the win; this is clear from the numbers and statistics that tell the story of both the match and the team's current form.

INTER IN NUMBERS

Following their win against Lecce, Inter have recorded at least 15 victories in the first 20 Serie A matches of a season for only the fifth time in the three-points-per-win era (since 1994/95), a milestone that was hit just last season, when the Nerazzurri recorded 16 wins.

The match against the Salentini further demonstrated their defensive solidity: Lecce have become one of only two teams, along with Como, that Inter have managed to hold the longest streak of clean sheets in Serie A against, six matches for both. Inter are also the first team that Lecce have failed to score against in at least five consecutive away games in the top flight.

In head-to-head terms, this is only the second time in Serie A that Inter have recorded seven consecutive wins against Lecce; the first streak lasted from 1991 to 1999.

The Nerazzurri also continue to stand out in the final moments: they have scored more goals than any other team in this season's matches from the 76th to the 90th minute, with 10 goals. This attacking prowess is sustained by their defensive ability; Inter, as well as Lazio, are the only teams to keep as many clean sheets so far this Serie A campaign, with 10 in total.

PIO ESPOSITO, RECORD-BREAKING IMPACT

Once again, Pio Esposito came on and played a decisive role. Scoring the decider for Inter vs. Lecce, the 2005-born-forward continues to make an impact at the European level: only Saïd El Mala of Cologne (born in 2006) is younger than him out of the players in the current Big 5 European leagues who have scored more than one goal and provided more than one assist coming off the bench. For Esposito, he has recorded 2 goals and 2 assists so far.

MKHITARYAN, 200 SERIE A APPEARANCES

It was also a special night for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who hit the prestigious milestone of 200 Serie A appearances against Lecce. He began his journey with Roma and continued with Inter. He has made 113 appearances in Italy's top flight in the Nerazzurri jersey. These numbers reflect his experience, consistency, and leadership for Inter.