With Manchester City and Liverpool both faltering in the league this season, you have to say that it looks like Arsenal’s title to lose at this point.
The Gunners’ rise to the top of the Premier League table has primarily been built on defence.
Their clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Slavia Prague on Tuesday night was their eighth in a row in all competitions, equalling a 122-year-old club record.
The previous feat was achieved by Woolwich Arsenal in 1903 and it was between seasons, which makes this current run all the more impressive.
Their past four wins have all come without conceding and the Gunners last won five successive league games without letting in a goal some 38 years ago under George Graham.
The Gunners have the best defensive record of any team in Europe’s top five leagues this term, with the most shut-outs, the fewest goals conceded and fewest shots on target faced per game.
Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded only 19 shots on target in the Premier League this season, including just one across their last four matches. Their average of 1.9 shots on target faced per game is the lowest since Opta’s records began in 2003-04.
The league leaders have a watertight defence, one of the deepest squads in Europe and have scored eight top-flight goals from corners this season – the most ever by a side in their first 10 games of a season.