It's clear why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.
