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It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those same matches during the prior term.

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

Impenetrable Rearguard

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.

They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

The defensive partnership 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 threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating 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 great to see."

Title Credentials

What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.

• Unbreached games 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 functioning with confidence and determination.