THERE WAS a nice moment in the emotional aftermath of Chelsea's victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

Didier Drogba, the scorer of the decisive goals, had just made a bad day worse for William Gallas, the Arsenal captain and central defender, who was barracked relentlessly on his first return to Stamford Bridge, yet friendship rose above the club rivalries.

"William gave a lot to Chelsea, he won two titles with us and the minimum the fans can give him is a bit more respect," said Drogba.

Respect is the buzz word in the game at present and referees are not the only ones who might feel they lack it. Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, faces such scepticism that his every move is subject to intense scrutiny.

Had his decision to substitute Claude Makelele and Michael Ballack with Juliano Belletti and Nicolas Anelka in the 70th minute failed, it is a safe bet the chant from the crowd of "You don't know what you're doing" would have turned into something rather uglier by full-time. Grant appears close to exhausting the natives' patience.

As it was, he could revel in having orchestrated a come-from-behind 2-1 victory and take pride in overcoming a leading team in the Premier League for the first time. Chelsea have leapfrogged Arsenal into second place and they sit five points behind the leaders Manchester United, with the defending champions yet to visit Stamford Bridge.

Frank Lampard believes the title race is "far from over" and he was determined to marginalise the issue of Grant's standing by turning the spotlight on to the players. It was they, he suggested, who had underperformed at Tottenham last Wednesday in the 4-4 draw, when Grant was vilified for his tactics, just as it was they who dug deep to fashion the victory over Arsenal. In the final reckoning, it will not be Grant's substitutions that make the difference but the will and contributions of those on the field.

"They were good subs (against Arsenal) and people will always analyse subs," said Lampard. "They analysed them last week at Tottenham and they did so again on Sunday but it's about players out there performing, particularly players that come on and the players already on the pitch who have to react. We all reacted particularly well against Arsenal.

"The fans are emotional, so they call it as they see it but we're there trying to get results and (the chant against Grant) is a side issue. You hear it but you don't take it in because it doesn't matter. If you started thinking about it and dwelling on it, you wouldn't be doing your job, so the players just responded on the pitch."

Lampard was asked whether Grant's successful substitutions ought to encourage the supporters to give him a chance. "Listen, the fans are behind the team and the group and they want to be successful so I just think we shouldn't make a big deal out of it and we should just concentrate on the positive. The subs did their jobs and we've turned it round. That's good for us."

Lampard felt there were flickers of the old Chelsea against Arsenal, even if another goal conceded from a set-piece, Bacary Sagna glancing home a 59th-minute corner, grated with them. "Had we lost we would have been virtually out of the race. That is why we dug in so hard and pulled it round," said Lampard.

And in Drogba the club have a talisman to carry the title race to the wire. "When Didier plays, he's the best in the world," said Lampard. ". . . he showed that against Gallas and Kolo Toure, two of the best centre halves."

Gallas returned the compliments to Drogba. "He was better than us," he said. "Sometimes you have to accept that. It will be difficult for us to come back because Manchester United now have a six-point lead but we have to. We can still win. It is not finished yet so we have to believe."

• Guardian Service