Football, Futbol, Fußball, Calcio: The Weekend Review

Every Monday, we'll take a stroll through Europe to review the best - and worst - the top leagues on the continent had to offer over the weekend. As always, there is plenty to discuss after a full slate of action.

The Storylines

Pep in the Europa League?

Don't look now, but there's a real race for the final Champions League berth in England.

A rather dour Manchester derby on Sunday ended in defeat for City, with teenage sensation Marcus Rashford's lone goal leaving the Citizens - who just a couple weeks ago still had visions of winning the Premier League - in serious danger of missing Europe's marquee competition next season altogether. Manuel Pellegrini, whose tenure is ending with a whimper, has his side just a solitary point above both United and West Ham with seven matches remaining on the schedule.

Related: 3 things we learned as Rashford delivers Manchester derby victory for United

This raises questions concerning Pep Guardiola's impending arrival. The Bayern Munich bench boss, who's on his way to the Etihad this summer, isn't going to pull a U-turn, but it's impossible to deny he made the move to Manchester fully expecting to be playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays next season, not Thursdays.

Pep in the Europa League? Something about that just doesn't feel right.

Buffon's ridiculous shutout streak is a team achievement

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon garnered all the plaudits following Sunday's 4-1 victory over Torino in a match that saw the 38-year-old 'keeper establish a new Serie A record by stretching his shutout streak to 974 minutes. The run eventually ended, somewhat cruelly, at the hands of an Andrea Belotti penalty early in the second half.

But the shot-stopper, affectionately known as Superman, knows full well where the credit lies for that remarkable achievement.

"This record belongs to the entire team and our fans," he said after the contest.

Massimiliano Allegri, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, and Co. won't be inscribed alongside Buffon's name in the official Serie A record book for the milestone, but they might as well be.

This Newcastle fan is our hero

He slipped onto his backside, nearly took a knee to the face from a striker built like a vending machine, and was escorted out of the stadium. As a result, he'll appear in court after being hit with an interim football banning order by Northumbria Police.

Related: Mitrovic's late header cements Tyne-Wear stalemate

But none of that can take away from the fact that 35-year-old John West - who celebrated on the pitch with Aleksandar Mitrovic after the big Serb netted Newcastle's equaliser in the Tyne-Wear derby this past weekend - forged a lifelong memory and now has a brilliant photo to display in his home.

The Highlights

Hatem Ben Arfa goes slaloming ... again

The Nice attacker is making quite a habit of this, with Gazelec Ajaccio becoming the latest to get the Washington Generals treatment.

Florian Thauvin scores an absolute peach

"This would have been nice at Newcastle." - Steve McClaren

Sami Khedira slices through Torino

"Then Moses Sami stretched out his hand over the sea defense, and all that night the LORD drove the sea defense back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters Torino defenders were divided ..."

The Lowlight

Papy Djilobodji forgets cameras exist

Yeah, this throat-slashing gesture toward FC Mainz 05's Pablo De Blasis probably isn't going to endear Djilobodji to his parent club, Chelsea.

Stray Thoughts

• Despite blowing a 2-0 lead at Villarreal, Barcelona managed to hang on for a draw, extending its undefeated streak to 39 matches. The Blaugrana even converted a rare penalty in the match.
• Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo missed one. Terribly. What a world.
• Paris Saint-Germain, nonplussed about the remainder of the Ligue 1 season after securing the crown earlier this month, fell 2-0 to Monaco on Sunday. The result means virtually nothing for Laurent Blanc's men - aside from hampering their chances of breaking the league's all-time point record - but it was a massive victory for Monaco, the frontrunner in a battle for a Champions League berth in France.
• Luca Toni didn't pull any punches when asked about Hellas Verona's near-certain relegation from Serie A. "We've shown all of our limits and certainly this is not our year. We don't deserve (to be in) this league."
• How could we not mention Leicester City? Another 1-0 win - the Foxes' fourth in their last five matches - kept Claudio Ranieri's team five points ahead of Tottenham at the top of the Premier League. The unthinkable continues to inch toward reality.
• The race for the final Champions League spot in Germany may be the most engaging in Europe, with five teams within six points of one another. In case you needed another reason to watch Bundesliga action - aside from the lightning-quick tempo, free-scoring matches, and optional defending - this would be it.