It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (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 opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Credentials
What is especially notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
