Chelsea's first half against West Ham couldn't have gone much worse. Already behind to a Mauro Zarate goal, their bad fortunes were compounded when Nemanja Matic was sent off just before half-time for a second yellow card.
Queue the usual reaction from the league champions:
Matic sent off. Second booking.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 24, 2015
Chelsea just had three players booked for protesting.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 24, 2015
Now Chelsea assistant Silvino Louro sent off.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 24, 2015
Mourinho hasn't come out. Apparently he got a red in the tunnel.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 24, 2015
In many ways the Matic sending off is almost a good thing for Chelsea as they now have the controversial moment to wax lyrical about and distract from another sub-par performance.
For what it's worth, only two players actually got booked for protesting - namely John Terry and Cesc Fabregas - but it was ridiculous reaction to what has been widely viewed as a deserved second yellow.
They would go on to equalise early in the second half thanks to Gary Cahill but an Andy Carroll header secured victory for West Ham and sent them second in the table.
Also read: Reports Are Emerging As To Why Jose Mourinho Was Sent Off At Half-Time
