It's clear why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably 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 opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
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 wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially 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 continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the premier instance 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 outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
