There's little doubt why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's beginning 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 continue triumphing, their traditional rivals are struggling. 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
