There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion at this point 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight 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 described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and resolve.
