It's clear why Arsenal have become numerous fans' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming 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 wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's commencement 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 leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
