It's clear why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.
