It's obvious why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League during this term.
Examine their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent 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 last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated 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 impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
