It is not hard to see why Arsenal are now many people’s favourites to win the Premier League this season.
Take their results against Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
A draw at Fulham, another at home to Palace, while they lost at Newcastle and were beaten at home by West Ham.
It meant the Gunners finished second for a third successive season, this time with a 10-point deficit to champions Liverpool, showing just how crucial such results are to the final outcome.
What is even more impressive about Arsenal’s start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home – and are still four points clear at the top from Bournemouth.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals aren’t faring so well. In fact, it is the first time at this stage of this season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
“It is interesting because there are some misconceptions we have and that is true with Arsenal. People call them set-piece FC and all that,” former City defender Nedum Onouha told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“But they are up there with teams with the most shots in the Premier League and had the fewest goals conceded, conceded the fewest chances and the fewest shots.
“They are brilliant. They sit top of the league and they deserve to be there.”
The pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defence, despite a number of injuries.
“Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor.” former Gunners striker Theo Walcott added on BBC Sport. “People are just afraid of them and it is great to see.
“It’s starting to now be normal that they don’t concede goals. They will have a bad patch and last year it was too many draws, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year. There is belief in the whole club now.”
Ex-Arsenal and England striker Ellen White described Arteta’s men as a “juggernaut, looking difficult to stop”.