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It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.

Look at their results against West Ham 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 fell away in the title race previously.

Defensive Prowess

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title target.

They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

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

Dead-Ball Excellence

Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to contain 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."

Title Claims

What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced 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 keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated 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 having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
• 385 minutes without letting in a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament

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