There's little doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (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 keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 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 fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and resolve.
