It's clear why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League during this term.
Look at their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element 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 anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and resolve.
