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It's obvious why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.

Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.

The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.

They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (5.3).

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

Set-Piece Mastery

Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize 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 originating from these situations.

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

Title Claims

What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.

While they maintain victories, 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
• 385 minutes without allowing a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament

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