Chelsea’s disastrous defence of the English Premier League plumbed new depths as manager Jose Mourinho and midfielder Nemanja Matic were sent off in its 2-1 defeat at West Ham Saturday.
It was Chelsea fifth defeat in the EPL this season, but the repercussions for Mourinho could be even more serious.
With his side trailing 1-0 at halftime, Matic dismissed and with a Cesc Fabregas equalizing effort ruled out, Mourinho reportedly confronted referee Jonathan Moss in the tunnel at Upton Park.
He spent the second half in the directors’ box after being ejected, a fate which also befell first team coach Silvino Louro.
Mourinho refused to speak to the media after the match, but earlier this month he was fined £50,000 ($75,000) and given a suspended stadium ban for his criticism of another referee in a loss to Southampton.
It was a tale of familiar failings for Chelsea, who have leaked goals in the campaign, with slack defence from a corner allowing Mauro Zarate to power home the opener for West Ham.
Chelsea might have leveled through Fabregas — a marginal offside decision — and Kurt Zouma’s header was just millimeters from crossing the line, goal line technology confirmed.
But Matic went after bringing down Diafra Sakho just before the break to earn a second yellow to make its task even more difficult.
To its credit, 10-man Chelsea fought back to level through Gary Cahill, but the Hammers sealed three points when Andy Carroll looped home a header – his first goal in the EPL in 279 days after injury setbacks.
(CNN)
