There's little doubt why Arsenal are now numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.
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 Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve 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 potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more 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 intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
