The evidence is unmistakable why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals are struggling. 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
