Arsenal took over at the Premier League summit
on Saturday, while Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho was sent to the stands as his side
crashed to defeat at West Ham United.
Buoyed by their mid-week win over Bayern
Munich in the Champions League, Arsenal
defeated Everton 2-1 to usurp previous leaders
Manchester City, who visit Manchester United on
Sunday in the Manchester derby.
But floundering champions Chelsea were left 11
points off the pace in 15th place after Mourinho,
his assistant Silvino Louro and midfielder
Nemanja Matic were dismissed in a 2-1 loss at
Upton Park.
“When you win such a big game like they did on
Tuesday (against Bayern), it shows a lot about
the mentality of your team,” said Arsenal
manager Arsene Wenger.
“That’s why I’m very proud of my team because
they’ve shown the ability to refocus.
“We lost our first game of the season at the
Emirates (against West Ham) and no one would
say we would be top of the table after that.”
Since the start of the month Arsenal have been
a team transformed, beating United and Watford
3-0 before brilliantly overcoming Bayern, and
they have now won four successive games in the
league.
They took control of the game at a rain-lashed
Emirates Stadium with two headers in two first-
half minutes by France internationals Olivier
Giroud and Laurent Koscielny.
Giroud, preferred to Theo Walcott, flicked Mesut
Ozil’s in-swinging cross past Tim Howard in the
36th minute before Koscielny stole in at the near
post to convert a left-wing free-kick by Santi
Cazorla.
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley replied before
half-time with a shot that took a hefty deflection
off Arsenal defender Gabriel.
After Giroud had hit the woodwork, Romelu
Lukaku skimmed the bar with a header, but
Everton could not find an equaliser and had
Gareth Barry sent off in stoppage time for a
second bookable offence.
Victory lifted Arsenal above West Ham after the
east London club had provisionally climbed to
second place by beating Chelsea, who have
already lost five times in 10 league games.
Mourinho was banished from the touchline by
referee Jon Moss at half-time after Mauro Zarate
had drilled West Ham ahead from a 17th-minute
corner and Matic had been sent off for two
bookable offences.
Reports suggested he had tried to enter the
match officials’ changing room.
– Villa slump continues –
Chelsea were also aggrieved that Cesc Fabregas
had had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside,
while Kurt Zouma came within millimetres of
scoring with a header that was smuggled off the
line by Manuel Lanzini.
Louro was banished from the touchline for
protesting against Matic’s dismissal and although
Gary Cahill equalised early in the second half,
West Ham substitute Andy Carroll headed in a
79th-minute winner.
Mourinho blanked the media after the game, but
Cahill told the BBC: “Last season we weren’t
used to it. The lads are devastated. You’re left
scratching your head sometimes.
“We worked really hard at 10 men and had the
majority of the play in the second half. It’s a
summary of our season at the minute.”
Mourinho may now risk 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
3-1 home defeat by Southampton.
Chelsea could also be punished for failing to fulfil
their post-match media duties.
Slaven Bilic’s West Ham, now unbeaten in seven
league games, finished the day in third place.
Elsewhere, Jamie Vardy became the eighth
player to score in seven successive Premier
League games as Leicester City beat Crystal
Palace 1-0 to move up to fifth place, four points
clear of sixth-place Palace.
Andre Ayew increased the pressure on
beleaguered Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood
with an 87th-minute goal that earned Swansea
City a 2-1 win at Villa Park.
Ayew’s younger brother Jordan had headed Villa
ahead in the 62nd minute, but Gylfi Sigurdsson
equalised six minutes later with a fine 25-yard
free-kick before Ayew the elder struck at the
death.
Defeat meant that Villa remain second from
bottom, four points from safety, with only four
points from 10 games.
“Am I going to be in the job next week? I’m not
the person to ask,” Sherwood said. “I feel like
the club is in a hole.”
Captain Troy Deeney and Almen Abdi scored as
Watford won 2-0 at Stoke City, while Salomon
Rondon’s header earned West Bromwich Albion a
1-0 victory at Norwich City.