There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' preferred choice to claim the Premier League this season.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to neutralize 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 coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the premier instance at this stage 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 allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.
