It's evident why Arsenal are now countless pundits' favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Credentials
What is even more notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the first time at this point 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
