There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title target.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
