The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' top picks to win the Premier League this season.
Consider their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They rank top for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing 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.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to contain 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and determination.
