Wenger fears defensive crisis after Gibbs injury

Arsenal were plunged back into a defensive injury crisis ahead of the showdown with Chelsea as both Kieran Gibbs, with a fractured metatarsal, and William Gallas hobbled out of 2-0 Champions League win over Standard Liege at Emirates Stadium.

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Denilson celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal just before half time

The Gunners responded from their lacklustre defeat to Sunderland with a comfortable victory which secured safe passage into the last 16 at the top of Group H ahead of the final match in Olympiacos after first-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson.

However, it came at a cost as centre-back Gallas went off at the break with a combination of an ankle problem and a lump above his eye following a clash of heads with Andrey Arshavin, which also left the Russian needing staples to close a bloody gash.

Gibbs, meanwhile, limped out during the closing stages following a hefty challenge from Eliaquim Mangala. The England Under-21 full-back had only just returned to fitness from a injury to his right foot suffered while away on international duty.

Arsene Wenger confirmed Gibbs had suffered a fracture to the first metatarsal on his left foot, and would be out for at least two months after undergoing surgery on Wednesday.

"Gallas has an ankle problem and a swollen eye. I think he will recover from the eye, and from the ankle we hope so [in time for Chelsea],'' said Wenger, speaking immediately after the match. Gibbs is much more serious.

"It was a very bad challenge, and it was not the player's first try. We have to X-ray him and I think he has gone to hospital to check because he has a big hole in his leg. He doesn't look too good, and that is unfortunate.''

Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas welcomed the opportunity to "relax'' after Arsenal secured top spot with a game to spare. Fabregas told Sky Sports: "It's really good for the team because we still have a game to go and we can relax a little and give some rest to some players, and make sure that some of the players who don't play too much can get a game.''

Arsene Wenger's side were made to work hard for their half-time lead, and Fabregas admitted: "It didn't go our way but we kept going, we believed and we were positive. We did not feel it was done, but for sure we felt more confident.

"We just tried to be professional because we knew sometimes it can happen that the other team gets frustrated and you receive some bad kicks. We just tried to play our football and that's what we did.''

Midfield partner Denilson, asked about his goal, added: It was brilliant for me, it was a brilliant match for me and a good win for us - I'm very proud of the group.''