It's evident why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical 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 in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest 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 widely recognized, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating 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 excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 scrutiny was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
