EPL champs Chelsea crash to fifth defeat in 10 games, at West Ham
West Ham's Manuel Lanzini (right) takes the ball away from Chelsea's Willian during their English Premier League match at Upton Park stadium in London on Saturday. West Ham won 2-1. (Photo: AP)
London: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands as the Premier League champions’ crisis deepened with a stormy 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Saturday.
Mourinho was banished from the touchline by referee Jon Moss at half-time at Upton Park after seeing Mauro Zarate put West Ham ahead before Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic was sent off for two bookable offences.
Mourinho’s assistant Silvino Louro was also sent off for protesting Matic’s dismissal and although Gary Cahill equalised early in the second half, West Ham substitute Andy Carroll headed in a 79th-minute winner.
It was Chelsea’s fifth defeat of a wretched season and left them in 15th place in the table, 10 points below leaders Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Slaven Bilic’s West Ham, now unbeaten in seven league games, climbed to second provisionally. Mourinho now risks a stadium ban, having been handed a suspended one-game ban by the Football Association last week for accusing the referee of being “afraid” during his side’s recent 1-3 home loss to Southampton.
Chelsea were unchanged from the mid-week 0-0 draw at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, with Cahill, Matic and Eden Hazard named in the team after starting last weekend’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on the bench.
West Ham went ahead in the 17th minute when Diego Costa miscued an attempted clearance at a corner and Zarate bludgeoned a low shot into the bottom-right corner.
( Source : AFP )
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