It's clear why Arsenal have become many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title goal.
They rank top for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 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 even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit 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 boasting the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
