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It's obvious why Arsenal have become many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.

Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.

They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Superiority

Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.

They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.

"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."

Title Credentials

What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 scrutiny was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite several injuries.

• Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests

Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and determination.