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It's clear why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches in the previous campaign.

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

Impenetrable Defense

Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.

They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).

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

Dead-Ball Dominance

Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these situations.

They have notched 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 intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."

Championship Credentials

What is especially notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.

While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and determination.