It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Examine their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.
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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is especially 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 ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and determination.
