Arteta backs Arsenal's open-play attack ahead of Forest trip

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised his side's attacking form and warned of a tough test at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, as the Gunners look to build on back-to-back wins following their 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break.

Arsenal beat Leeds United and LOSC Lille in successive home games at Emirates Stadium, scoring five goals across the two fixtures to bring their seasonal total to 21 in all competitions.

"We have responded really well in the last two games, two very good performances and results, and now we just focus on the game against Forest, which I know is going to be a really tough one," Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

A notable feature of Arsenal's output this season has been their reliance on open play, with 20 of their 21 goals coming from open situations rather than set-pieces — a contrast to the previous campaign when corners and free-kicks were central to their title-winning formula.

Arteta dismissed any suggestion that the shift in source of goals was a concern. "Look what you just said, [we got] criticism for scoring [set-piece] goals! The team is showing a great attacking flow, we scored some beautiful goals," he said. "The value of the goals is exactly the same, so I think we have to be a team that is able to score in many, many ways."

Forest have collected just five points from seven Premier League matches this season, sitting 19th in the table, with recent defeats including a 3-1 loss away to Crystal Palace and a 1-0 home reverse against Coventry City.

Arteta cautioned against reading too much into Forest's results, however. "In some games it was the result, because in terms of the performance and what they deserve for the game, it should have been very, very different, and we are very aware of that," he said.

Arsenal go into Sunday's match second in the Premier League table with 18 points from seven games, having won six of those fixtures.