It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but surrendered 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 looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest 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 highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds 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 premier instance at this juncture of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.
