It's evident why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League this season.
Examine their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (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.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 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 intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly 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 on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion at this point 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
