🔗 Share this article

There's little doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches during the prior term.

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

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title goal.

They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest 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 widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.

They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more 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 fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."

Championship Claims

What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors are struggling. 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.

• Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
• 385 minutes without conceding a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament

Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.