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There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's favorites to win the Premier League during this term.

Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title goal.

They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).

The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Superiority

Their danger from dead balls is well known, but rival sides still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

They have notched 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 daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."

Championship Pedigree

What is even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.

While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.

• Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
• 385 minutes without conceding a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.