Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has lifted the lid on William Gallas' infamous meltdown at Birmingham City.

In the 2007/08 season, Arsenal were six points clear at the top of the table in March before their infamous 2-2 draw with Birmingham. Arsenal striker Eduardo suffered a horrific broken ankle and Arsenal conceded a 90th-minute penalty, eventually dropping two points.

Afterwards, Gallas sat down on the pitch and refused to head back to the dressing room.

In his autobiography, which is being serialised in the Telegraph , Lehmann wrote: "Instead of standing at the edge of the area and clearing a possibly parried penalty like any other defender in the world, he abandoned the team, ran towards the halfway line and, in his anger, kicked an advertising hoarding.

"After the match, which eventually ended 2–2 thanks to the converted penalty, he refused to leave the pitch but sat down in the centre circle like a sulky child, until the manager himself came to collect him.

"In the dressing room, Gallas came to blows with Gilberto, who accused him of seeking attention in a daft manner – the row dragged on for the remainder of the season. Finally, it contributed to us finishing only third, four points behind Manchester United, despite having been six points ahead in March."