It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to secure the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 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 looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these chances.
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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
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 keep winning, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
