It's evident why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to secure the Premier League this season.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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."
Championship Claims
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
