It's evident why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably 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 well known, but rival sides still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 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 Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
