There's little doubt why Arsenal have become numerous fans' favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title goal.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still struggle to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting 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 great to see."
Title Potential
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning 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 ahead by four points 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.
