There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League during this term.
Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but rival sides still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Credentials
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played 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 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 pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.