It's evident why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing 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.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but competing clubs still struggle to contain 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 fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played 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 continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and determination.
