It's evident why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but surrendered 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 at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly 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 well known, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have registered 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
