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The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to win the Premier League during this term.

Look at their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches during the prior term.

The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.

They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining 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 don't know how to contain the Gunners from these chances.

They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 fearful of them and it is great to see."

Championship Pedigree

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

While they keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

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

• Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
• 385 minutes without conceding a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.