The proof is unmistakable why Arsenal are now countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 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 intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Credentials
What is even more notable 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 leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the first time 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
