There's little doubt why Arsenal are now numerous fans' top picks to secure the Premier League this season.
Examine their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.
They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest 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 well known, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
