It's evident why Arsenal are now numerous fans' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping 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 struggle to neutralize 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
