'People are fearful' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal are the team to beat.

There's little doubt why Arsenal are now numerous fans' favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches last season.

The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.

Impenetrable Rearguard

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.

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

The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Dead-Ball Superiority

Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.

They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.

"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."

Title Potential

What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.

While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents are struggling. This marks the premier instance at this point 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 beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.

• Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
• 385 minutes without conceding a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament

Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and determination.