There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement 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 ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals face difficulties. 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.
