There's little doubt why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to claim the Premier League during this term.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
