There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League this season.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (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 Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these situations.
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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and resolve.
