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.
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.
Chelsea were also aggrieved that Cesc Fabregas 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. I feel like the club is in a hole," Sherwood said.
"We can't carry anyone because we're getting done. At
the moment we are short. If people don't give everything, we'll come up
short."
Watford captain Troy Deeney scored his first Premier League
goal and Almen Abdi also found the net as the promoted side ended Stoke City's
three-game winning streak with a 2-0 win at the Britannia Stadium.
Meanwhile, Salomon Rondon's header earned West Bromwich
Albion a 1-0 victory at Norwich City.
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