West Ham United moved up to second place in the Premier League by claiming a 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea.

Mauro Zarate fired the Hammers into the lead, before Nemanja Matic was sent off for the visitors at the end of the first half.

After the break, Gary Cahill smashed in an equaliser for the Blues after a corner had not been cleared.

However, with 11 minutes remaining substitute Andy Carroll headed in from Aaron Cresswell's cross to seal the points for Slaven Bilic's side.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at Upton Park.

Match statistics

WEST HAM
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 45%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 10

CHELSEA
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 55%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?

While West Ham will be delighted with the three points, it was a cruel blow for Chelsea, who had put in a good performance after going down to 10 men. There was very little to choose between the teams, but the man advantage for the Hammers saw them over the finishing line. However, It was a far more impressive display from the home side at Upton Park, and they made the most of their opponents' indifferent form to close the gap on leaders Manchester City to one point.

West Ham's performance

Having won just one of their league matches at Upton Park this season, the Hammers were finally able to replicate their wonderful record away from home, that has included victories over Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Bilic set his team out to play on the counter-attack against the Blues, and once they got the early goal it proved to be a very successful tactic.

Their cause seemed to be helped by Chelsea going down to 10 men, but their forward play in the second half failed to live up to what had come in the opening 45 minutes. For long periods it did seem as if the match would end in a draw, but the arrival of Carroll gave them an added threat inside the box, and the striker made his aerial ability count with a superb header that sealed the points and has kept up their remarkable start to the season.

Chelsea's performance

It was another afternoon to forget for the Blues, who lost for the fifth time in 10 Premier League matches. The constant talk of a crisis at Stamford Bridge will only continue further this evening, although the result does not tell the full story, as they showed good spirit to fight back from a goal and a man down.

They even showed signs of winning the match late on, with Ramires seeing a shot saved just moments before Carroll headed in at the other end of the pitch. One thing that Jose Mourinho will be annoyed about is the way that his team conceded both goals, as last year's title winning defence was opened up again. However, he can have no complaints about the decision to send Matic off, and his protests to the referee led to him being sent to the stands, which could spell another hefty fine from the Football Assocation.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Cheikhou Kouyate: There were plenty of candidates from the hosts this afternoon, but the performance of Kouyate was a crucial part of West Ham's win. The Senegal international was a constant threat for the Blues with his powerful runs through the midfield and he made a number of important tackles in a commanding display.

Biggest gaffe

Matic must take the brunt of the criticism following his red card at the end of the first half. He had narrowly escaped being sent off for bringing down Kouyate earlier in the match, before a blatant foul on Diafra Sakho sealed his fate. It left the Blues with a mountain to climb, and proved key to their eventual defeat.

Referee performance

Although Chelsea will have their complaints against Jonathan Moss, the referee was correct in his decision to send Matic off. Another big call that he had to make was to disallow a goal from Cesc Fabregas, with the replays showing that the Spaniard was possibly onside when he scored.

What next?

West Ham: The Hammers will hope to extend their winning run against Watford at Vicarage Road next Saturday.

Chelsea: The Blues are away to Stoke City in the League Cup on Tuesday evening, before welcoming Liverpool to Stamford Bridge next weekend.