It's evident why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.
Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the premier instance at this juncture of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.
