It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League this season.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title goal.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
