The evidence is unmistakable why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title goal.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is even more 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 on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.
