By the numbers: Real Madrid hold Messi scoreless again in El Clasico

Real Madrid haven't had a run like this in a long time.

Los Blancos once again exerted their dominance over Barcelona, beating their rivals 2-1 on Saturday to move into first place in La Liga. Zinedine Zidane's side also managed to keep Lionel Messi off the scoresheet, extending the worst drought of the Argentine's career in El Clasico.

Here are the most telling stats from Saturday's wild encounter:

3: Madrid have beaten Barcelona three times in a row for the first time since the 1977-78 season. That also includes the first sweep of Barcelona in La Liga in 13 years.

6: Eder Militao, who replaced the injured Sergio Ramos in the starting lineup, made as many clearances (six) as Barcelona's back three combined.

7: Messi has failed to score or register an assist against Madrid in seven consecutive matches, dating back to Cristiano Ronaldo's final season in Spain in 2017-18.

19: Barcelona's unbeaten run in La Liga ends at 19 matches. No other team in Europe's top five leagues has gone longer without a loss this season.

21: Messi has missed each of his last 25 shots in El Clasico. Five of his seven attempts were blocked Saturday at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

66: Madrid are now level with Atletico on 66 points after trailing their crosstown rivals by 10 at the end of January.

478: Casemiro was sent off for just the second time in 478 games with Madrid. The midfielder's only other red card came in a 4-1 win over Real Valladolid in March 2019.