There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's favorites to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.
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 previously.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is even more 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 keep winning, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion at this stage 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 beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.
