There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping 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 neutralize 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 coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning 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 leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion at this juncture 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.