There's no doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more 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 four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the premier instance 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
