It's clear why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced 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 maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and resolve.
