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It's obvious why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' top picks to win the Premier League this season.

Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches during the prior term.

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

Impenetrable Defense

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

They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Dominance

Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.

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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."

Title Claims

What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced 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 continue triumphing, their traditional rivals face difficulties. 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 expectations was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

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

• Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions

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