SOCCER/ ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:WILLIAM GALLAS had already ripped off his shirt and thrown it into the delirious mob of Arsenal supporters when he strolled off towards the tunnel, at provocatively close proximity to the Chelsea fans down by the touchline.
The crowd that had once adored him during his long association with the west London club predictably showered him with abuse. Gallas, though, simply crossed himself and smiled broadly. He had repelled everything Chelsea's attacking players had thrown at him and a few more insults were not going to hurt. After his very public criticisms of his Arsenal team-mates and the ensuing outcry, which included him being stripped of the club's captaincy, this tasted like redemption.
"William was outstanding today, absolutely amazing," said the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. "He has come out of that period with a lot of credit, for me, because his commitment is fantastic. He was outstanding today, just as he was against Dynamo Kiev [in the Champions League last Tuesday]. He shows he is a real fighter. Instead of giving up, he's a fighter."
Ditto his team-mates. They might have been second best in the first-half and ridden their luck on two key decisions, but once Robin van Persie had slammed into the top corner to equalise, they stepped on to the front foot. Van Persie scored again and Arsenal might have put the game out of sight, as Chelsea looked shell-shocked.
Wenger had said that after the stumbles against Fulham, Hull City, Stoke City, Aston Villa and Manchester City, his team's title hopes would rest on how they fared against their fellow members of the big four. This result, in the wake of the 2-1 home victory over Manchester United, gives them confidence for the race ahead.
"It gives us the belief we can come back," said Wenger. "What kind of impact it can have on Chelsea, I do not know. It is a massive win for us. We had just lost two games unexpectedly and to lose today would have put us 13 points adrift of Chelsea and that would have been too much. Seven points [adrift of Chelsea] is still far but not impossible."
Buried beneath the livid frustration that simmered throughout Luiz Felipe Scolari's post-match assessment came a confession. "We lost three points today but, in the last five games, we've not played well," admitted the Brazilian, stumbling from dark fury into clarity. "We didn't create as much as we did before, or shoot as many times as before, and that's my mistake. My mistake and the players' mistakes."
This is becoming an error-strewn period which already threatens to undermine Chelsea's season. They remain top of the Premier League, a position they may surrender to Liverpool this evening, but doubt is creeping into their challenge. Home games against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have yielded a solitary point, fuelling the fledgling theory that this is a team who struggle to prevail in key contests.
Tottenham, Newcastle and even Burnley have visited Stamford Bridge this season and gleaned precisely what they had sought from their trip to west London. Chelsea may appear untouchable on their domestic travels but some 12 points have been shed at home and Scolari has struggled to offer up a solution.
His outburst last night, aimed at linesman and referee, was fuelled by a belief that Salomon Kalou would have scored when put through on goal by Deco after five minutes only to be flagged offside and that van Persie was clearly beyond the last defender when poked clear by Denilson for the equaliser.
He had a point with both but more troubling was the reality that Chelsea mustered only one shot on target other than Johan Djourou's own-goal.
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