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There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to claim the Premier League this season.

Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches last season.

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 in the prior campaign.

Defensive Prowess

Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title target.

They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.

They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.

"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."

Title Credentials

What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.

While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions 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 several injuries.

• Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in 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 belief and resolve.