It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how 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 originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and resolve.
