It's evident why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to secure the Premier League during this term.
Examine their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's commencement 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 continue triumphing, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the premier instance 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 start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and resolve.
