It's evident why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title target.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
