It's evident why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' top picks to claim the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more 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 afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Claims
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the premier instance 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and resolve.
