There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest 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 rival sides still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.
