It's clear why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to win the Premier League this season.
Examine their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
