Gallas has the last laugh on Chelsea

SOCCER:William Gallas was hailed by Arsène Wenger as an inspirational leader after his goal edged Arsenal to a 1-0 victory over Chelsea, on a fractious occasion at the Emirates Stadium, and offered him the last laugh against his former employers.

Ashley Cole made his first return to Arsenal, following his acrimonious move to Chelsea and, having been subjected to relentless abuse, he aimed a hand gesture towards the home crowd at full-time. The Football Association will look into the matter. It capped a miserable afternoon yesterday for Chelsea, who lost their captain John Terry to ankle ligament damage in the first half. The manager, Avram Grant, reported that there was nothing broken and Terry, who left the ground on crutches, will have scans today.

But there was no confining Gallas's joy after he punished a rare error by Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper, to propel Arsenal back to the top of the table. Manchester United had briefly usurped them by winning 1-0 at Liverpool earlier in the day, thanks to a Carlos Tevez goal.

Gallas completed his transfer to Arsenal in August 2006, at the same time as Cole headed in the opposite direction, and the France defender was subjected to a smear campaign. Chelsea released a statement condemning Gallas for forcing his switch and alleging that he said he would score in his own net if forced to play for the club again. Gallas's winner here was his third of the season and his latest crucial goal. He scored a last-minute equaliser against Manchester United and also struck against Wigan last month.

"He is a leader and the definition of a leader is that he shows the example when you need it," said Wenger. "He showed he is a winner. It takes a few months to be penetrated by the spirit but this season, William has taken it on board. He has been transformed. He does a lot of things off the pitch that are great for the club."

It would be cheap to suggest that Emmanuel Eboue may have solved the first of Fabio Capello's problems with an over-the-top challenge that removed Terry from yesterday's match and sent him to hospital for a scan on his right foot. And given what happened to Chelsea a few minutes after their captain left the pitch, England's new head coach will be hoping that Terry's recent run of bad luck with injuries will not extend to a further prolonged absence.

Terry has been the object of criticism and bad publicity in recent weeks, stemming from his tendency to berate referees and from his well-publicised antics in nightclubs. On both counts he has been judged in some quarters to be unfit to wear the England captain's armband.

Capello, however, is more likely to be swayed by the implications of Chelsea's momentary defensive collapse in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, when Petr Cech missed Cesc Fabregas's inswinging corner from the left an instant before Tal Ben Haim succumbed to a little push from William Gallas, who headed the ball home with aplomb.

Eboue's hurtful lunge may have had its origin in Terry's challenge on Fabregas 10 minutes earlier, when the Arsenal man was fighting to regain possession of the ball while getting to his feet after being grounded a few yards outside the Chelsea penalty area.

Terry's foot speared in, catching Fabregas and initiating a minor rumpus which brought yellow cards for him and his team-mate Frank Lampard. Terry's subsequent barge on Emmanuel Adebayor, for which Chelsea were mystifyingly awarded a free-kick, may have raised the temperature another degree or two.

Referee Alan Wiley booked nine players, including Eboue for when he left his studs in on Terry. "People have told me it should have been a red card but I didn't see it," said Grant. "We'll know [ the damage] tomorrow but I don't think he's broken anything."

Wenger was delighted his side matched Chelsea in the physical battle. "I believe that is where we have improved the most," he said. "Be efficient and not be dominated. Today we were dominant, we showed character in the fight. That has not always been the case."

Chelsea were only denied a point by the heroics of home goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and Grant felt aggrieved at a defeat that ended a run of 16 matches unbeaten. He still believes that his team are title contenders.

"Arsenal had all their [ injured] players back and we were without so many and there was no difference," he said. "We deserved at least a draw. In the first half, we defended very well and in the second half, even better. Almunia was very good.

"The gap [ to Arsenal] is only six points, it's not the end of the world. We can still be involved in the title race." On Cole, he added: "I didn't see any problems. There were a lot of fouls on him but he is a big boy." Grant said he would look to spend in the January transfer market, particularly if Terry's injury is worse than feared - Ricardo Carvalho is still unavailable - but Wenger was more upbeat.

"We are confident we can win the title, the belief is there but I would prefer if it remains a four-horse race. Liverpool had the biggest disappointment of the day, because they played at home."

Wenger was unhappy to hear Lassana Diarra, the midfielder he signed from Chelsea in August, announce his desire to leave the club, citing his frustration at his lack of playing opportunities.

The Arsenal manager also revealed that Eboue, who left the field on a stretcher after being fouled by Joe Cole, had medial knee ligament damage and would be assessed over the next 48 hours.