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There's no doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.

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

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

Impenetrable Defense

Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title target.

They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

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

Dead-Ball Dominance

Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but rival sides still struggle to stop the Gunners from these situations.

They have registered 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 wonderful to see."

Title Claims

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

While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors face difficulties. 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
• 385 minutes without letting in a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.