There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best 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 well known, but competing clubs 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 resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's beginning 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 traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the first time 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 allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
