It's obvious why Arsenal have become countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League this season.
Examine their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more 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 at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the premier instance 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit 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 having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and resolve.
