There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but rival sides still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the first time 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 additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
