Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal side now possess enough steel to go with their undoubted style to last the pace in the Barclays Premier League title race.

The Gunners manager saw his side claim a significant 1-0 victory against Chelsea to retain their place at the league summit.

More importantly he witnessed them more than hold their own in a feisty match which contained nine bookings - five for Chelsea and four for Arsenal - plus several incidents in which players squared up to each other.

It also left England captain John Terry facing scans on an injured ankle after he was caught by a lunge which earned Emmanuel Eboue a yellow card.

Wenger said: "We have shown great character in the fight, in the one-to-one duels. We were dominant on that front and that is not the case usually.

"Overall, I think three points were deserved and reflect the great spirit in the side."

Wenger singled out the performance of captain William Gallas, who scored the winner against Chelsea when he cashed in on a rare clanger by goalkeeper Petr Cech, just as he had supplied the last-minute equaliser against Manchester United earlier in the season.

"He pops up when you need it," said Wenger.

"He is a leader. He shows the example. He did that against Manchester United in the last seconds. It shows he is a winner.

"Arsenal is a special club. William this season has taken that on board and he is completely the leader and represents how we want to behave. He is transformed completely."

The victory keeps Arsenal one point ahead of Manchester United, six ahead of Chelsea and 10 in front of Liverpool, who languish in fifth place.

Wenger, however, hopes England's big four all stay in contention for the title.

He said: "Liverpool are not out of it. Neither are Chelsea because they showed they are a good team. I prefer that it remains a four-horse race because it is more interesting."

Wenger, meanwhile, must assess a knee ligament strain sustained by Eboue and deal with Lassana Diarra's threat to move.

Wenger said of Diarra: "I'm unhappy that he is unhappy and we will try to make him happy. It takes some months to integrate in the club and he arrived late.

"We live in a world of competition for places and we have to accept that. That's part of our job."

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