It's clear why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best 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 opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the premier instance 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
