Wenger hails Gallas

William Gallas came back into the Arsenal starting line-up to face Dynamo Kyiv in midweek after a brief exodus. In that Champions League fixture he was erratic - spectacular or woeful from minute-to-minute - but got through the game and helped the Gunners to qualify.

He was still very much on edge during Sunday's massive Chelsea showdown, having been sacked as captain recently, but was far more assured under waves of pressure from the Blues.

After the game, coach Arsene Wenger continued to back the stopper, gushing over his performance.

"I think William was outstanding... absolutely amazing," he told the club's official website.

"He came out of that troublesome period with, for me, a lot of credit. His commitment is fantastic and he was outstanding.

"As he did against Kyiv, he has shown he is a fighter."

Johan Djourou partnered the Frenchman at the back and struggled a bit more than under-fire Gallas. He scored an own goal and was a little behind the pace at times.

Wenger wouldn't say whether the partnership would feature again, but noted: "I wanted to try that partnership. I think we were a bit stronger in the duels and in the air."

So much has been said about Arsenal's mentality over the last few weeks - little of it positive - but now everyone is talking about Chelsea, who have now allowed their Stamford Bridge fortress to be breached by two of their 'Big Four' rivals.

Wenger, though, isn't sure what the defeat will do to the Blues: "The win gives us the belief that we can come back, but what it does to Chelsea, I don’t know."