It's evident why Arsenal are now numerous fans' top picks to claim the Premier League this season.
Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo 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 threat from set-pieces is well known, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have registered 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 fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered 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 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
