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There's no doubt why Arsenal have become numerous fans' favorites to claim the Premier League during this term.

Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.

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

Defensive Prowess

Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.

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

The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Set-Piece Proficiency

Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

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

Championship Pedigree

What is even more 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 in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.

While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. This marks the premier instance at this point 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
• Over six hours without letting in a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions

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