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It's evident why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.

Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.

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

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.

They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

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

Set-Piece Mastery

Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.

They have registered 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."

Championship Claims

What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.

While they keep winning, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.

• Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
• Over six hours without allowing a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.