There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion at this stage 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 spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets 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 all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
