It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to win the Premier League this season.
Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest 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 widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning 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 four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
