It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but rival sides still struggle to contain the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals face difficulties. 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
