The evidence is unmistakable why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical 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 last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo 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.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how 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 originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. This marks the premier instance 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive 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 "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
