It's obvious why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.
Examine their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Credentials
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played 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 continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
