The evidence is unmistakable why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title goal.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (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 Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but rival sides still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
