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There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.

Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive solidity 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), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

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

Dead-Ball Dominance

Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.

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

"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."

Title Claims

What is even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.

While they keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this stage of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.

The pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.

• Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.