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There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to claim the Premier League this season.

Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.

The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title target.

They lead the league for unbreached games (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 potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Superiority

Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."

Championship Claims

What is even more impressive about Arsenal's beginning 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 ahead by four points at the top.

While they maintain victories, their historic competitors are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.

• Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

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