There's no doubt why Arsenal are now numerous fans' favorites to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (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 threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Credentials
What is especially 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 on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
