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There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to secure the Premier League this season.

Examine their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.

They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Set-Piece Mastery

Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.

They have registered 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 daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."

Championship Pedigree

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 in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they keep winning, their traditional rivals are struggling. 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 scrutiny was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.

• Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament

Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.