There's no doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still struggle to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
