There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
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 notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts 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 every tournament
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
