There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but opposition teams still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested 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 remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and resolve.
