There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to secure the Premier League during this term.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title goal.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest 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 well known, but rival sides still struggle to neutralize 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 resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals are struggling. 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three 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 "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and determination.
