Chelsea stretch lead after tale of two penalties

Chelsea went four points clear at the top of the English Premier League table after a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to London rivals West Ham yesterday.

Former Hammers midfielder Frank Lampard kept his nerve to draw Chelsea level from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, three times having to strike the spot-kick after referee Mike Dean twice ordered a retake for encroachment.

The penalty award was controversial in itself, with Hammers captain Matthew Upson adamant he had played the ball before bringing down Chelsea substitute Daniel Sturridge.

West Ham, managed by former Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola, would have gone bottom if they had lost this match.

They went ahead at Upton Park when Alessandro Diamanti scored from the penalty spot after Ashley Cole had fouled Jack Collison.

The result saw the Blues pull away from second-placed reigning champions Manchester United, who themselves lost ground in the title race with a 3-0 loss away to Fulham on Saturday.

In yesterday's other matches, Wolves climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at home to Burnley while Birmingham's five-match winning streak in the top flight ended with a 1-1 draw at Everton.

Goals from Nenad Milijas and Kevin Doyle ensured Wolves finished a controversial week in style by moving up six places in the table.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy had been widely criticised for his line-up during a 3-0 away defeat by Manchester United on Tuesday.

At Old Trafford, McCarthy changed all 10 outfield players from the side that beat Tottenham the previous weekend, with American goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann the only survivor.

But he ended up with the outcome he wanted as Wolves heaped yet more away-day misery on Burnley.

"Did the win justify my midweek team selection? I'm not looking for it at all, justification or vindication," McCarthy said.

"We've had nine points out of 12 since the Birmingham game and people who were here when we played Birmingham would never have thought that.

"It is about all the games, not just about today."

At least McCarthy was still in a job.

Hughes reaction

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes was sacked on Saturday, just hours after his side defeated Sunderland 4-3 in an Eastlands thriller, and replaced by former Inter coach Roberto Mancini.

City's billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour wanted a greater return on his £200-million player investment than two wins in 11 league matches.

Hughes though was taken aback by his exit, saying yesterday: "I was given no forewarning as to the club's decision.

"Given the speed with which my successor's appointment was announced, it would appear that the club had made its decision some considerable time ago.

"I am extremely disappointed not to have been given the opportunity to see through my plans at the club," the Welshman added.

Saturday also saw Arsenal maintain their title push with a 3-0 win over Hull while Aston Villa and Tottenham kept up their challenge for European football next season with 1-0 and 2-0 wins over Stoke and Blackburn respectively.

Portsmouth piled the pressure on Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez with a 2-0 win at Fratton Park.