There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest 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 well known, but competing clubs still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating 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 impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding 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 conviction and determination.
