EPL: West Ham stun Chelsea 2-1

Blues drop to 15th place; Jose Mourinho banished to stands

London: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was banished to the stands amid more furore over refereeing decisions as his side slumped to a 1-2 defeat at West Ham United on Saturday.


West Ham United's Andy Carroll (second from left) heads the ball into Chelsea’s goal at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images

Nemanja Matic was sent off in the first half for two bookable offences with Mourinho's men already trailing to Mauro Zarate's goal.

The second yellow came directly after a disallowed Chelsea goal that had seemed legitimate and following an earlier incident when goal-line technology ruled out an effort that did not cross the line.

Mourinho has already earned himself a fine and a suspended stadium ban for repeatedly claiming officials have a vendetta against his team. And he was sent to the stands at half-time by referee Jon Moss, who had earlier expelled first-team coach Silvino Louro from the technical areas.

Gary Cahill equalised early in the second half, but substitute Andy Carroll won it for West Ham, who moved up to second place. Last season's champions can now be found down in 15th place after a fifth defeat in 10 matches.

'Not special anymore'
When West Ham opened the scoring in the 17th minute, Upton Park erupted with the home fans serenading Mourinho with the inevitable chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning!" and "You're not special any more!"

Cesar Azpilicueta was booked for fouling Zarate. The champions penned in their hosts for a spell that saw home goalkeeper Adrian make a diving save to keep out Willian's free-kick and Manuel Lanzini hook away a header from Kurt Zouma.

The goal-line technology replay showing that only a tiny portion of the ball had not crossed the white paint of the line. A raised flag then denied Cesc Fabregas when he accepted Willian's pass and beat Adrian. It was assistant referee Andrew Halliday's call and television replays suggested the goal should have stood.

Suddenly Harry Lennard, the other linesman, was the focal point, signalling to Moss that Matic's foul on Diafra Sakho right in front of him was enough to warrant a second yellow card. The Serb departed a minute before the break, with Mourinho merely smiling ruefully.

But Louro's temper was already at boiling point and he was sent to the stands for a furious verbal volley at the officials, while Fabregas and Costa were also booked for complaining. John Mikel Obi replaced Fabregas for the second half as Mourinho himself failed to reappear on the touchline, instead popping up high in the main stand.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!