ARSENE Wenger is listening.

That was the message for Arsenal fans to take from the 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, where their team lined up with more height and physical strength than has been seen so far this season.

There were fears that Wenger's love of pretty, passing football was becoming a damaging obsession, but the inclusion of Johan Djourou and Alexandre Song seemed to indicate that his ideology is not concrete and that he can adapt where necessary.

Djourou, own goal aside, was impressive and his lofty presence seemed to allow William Gallas to get back to what he does best.

Like John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, the best defensive partnerships are usually those that combine brute force with cunning and Gallas has the latter in abundance.

This was certainly his best performance for some time, better even than his display against Dynamo Kiev in midweek.

'William was outstanding today, absolutely amazing,' said Wenger.

'He came out of that period with a lot of credit and his commitment is fantastic. He shows he is a real fighter.'

In midfield, Song was less impressive.

When Chelsea dominated the game in the opening stages of the second half, it was largely because he and Cesc Fabregas struggled to strike up a rapport.

Concern

That may come in time, and it is more likely to happen against teams less threatening than Chelsea, but it is still a concern.

Fabregas keeps getting forced deeper, into positions where he finds it difficult to make those telling passes.

Last season he seemed to be permanently based in the opposition's half, but it's not quite clicking for him in this campaign.

Wenger has clearly ended the fruitless Denilson experiment.

The Brazilian midfielder has many strengths, but he is no Mathieu Flamini and his manager's refusal to take that onboard was only damaging his own progression.

Back out on the flanks of a narrow midfield four, he seemed much more comfortable and able to influence the game.

He wasn't quite as excellent as he was in the Champions League, but it was a far more noticeable contribution than his anonymous shifts in defensive midfield.

The question still remains: Will Wenger spend in January?

Most observers, including this one, would think it the wisest short-term solution, but that's not always how this manager operates.

Someone in the mould of the industrious Yaya Toure or tough-tackling Jeremy Toulalan would strengthen the team in its weakest area, but it's more likely that Wenger will wait and see how this generation of players develop.

Arsenal fans may despair at his refusal to splash the cash, but at least this weekend has shown that he's not quite as stubborn as they might have thought.