There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming 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 great to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered 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 keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. This marks the first time 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 search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.
