It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' favorites to secure the Premier League during this term.
Examine their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best 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 widely recognized, but rival sides still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.