It's obvious why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' preferred choice to secure the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but rival sides still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 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 fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and determination.
