It's evident why Arsenal are now countless pundits' top picks to claim the Premier League during this term.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these chances.
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 intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and resolve.
