It's obvious why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the first time at this stage of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
