Mikel Arteta acknowledged the resilience Arsenal exhibited against Nottingham Forest.

·‘The level has gone up again’

In a different way to the 2-1 win over Leeds United, the Gunners had to plug away for the best part of the 90 minutes to take three points in their latest Premier League victory on Sunday afternoon.

Noni Madueke made the difference for the visitors, who had to break down a disciplined block. The challenges change game to game, and the manager made clear that task is not a simple one to resolve.

“Today was a different one to Lille, and will be extremely different to three days’ time against Bayern Munich, which will be 96 minutes man-to-man, and let’s go. But we adapt, learn, and try to make the margins bigger.

“I think we’re in a good place - we should always improve and can improve - and we’ll look to be the best version of ourselves and enjoy it a little bit, because this week we have a big one coming up.

“[The win] shows how difficult becoming a champion is and to expect a different kind of a game. It’s not the reality of the league, and certainly we don’t think that way. The level has gone up again, and I think we will have more and more surprises.”

·‘We predicted 50 balls in the air’

Oliver Glasner also values an outlet in his system. Jean-Philippe Mateta was that man for Crystal Palace, and Liam Delap bustled down the right channel particularly to present problems for Arsenal.

Arteta credited the central defensive pairing for their performances as the guests got a clean sheet.

“The win was not possible without [Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães], because they have so much quality and physicality, having to constantly deal with what we predicted to be 50 balls in the air.

“I don’t know how many they had, but it would’ve been very close to that. And it’s not only that, it’s what happens after that ball and the consequences from that. To be on it constantly, every action delivered is very tough.

“When you think it’s done, Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi come in and they start to have a different problem. Now you are man-to-man with the two centre-backs. But that’s the Premier League, and the quality of it, which makes it the best league in the world.”