'People are fearful' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal are the side to defeat.

There's little doubt why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to secure the Premier League this season.

Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.

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

Defensive Prowess

Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.

They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

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

Dead-Ball Excellence

Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

They have notched 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 excellent to see."

Championship Claims

What is particularly notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. 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 beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.

But the investment has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
• Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament

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