It's obvious why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to win the Premier League this season.
Look at their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, 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, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and determination.
