There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their historic competitors are struggling. 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
