There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title ambition.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best 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 opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played 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 historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this stage 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of 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 confidence and purpose.
