LONDON • Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho faces a huge week ahead as he seeks to salvage the Blues' increasingly poor start to the season.

With Liverpool set to visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the Portuguese is awaiting news of any punishment for being sent to the stands during his side's 2-1 defeat at West Ham United. It was Chelsea's fifth loss in 10 Premier League games.

The Football Association has already taken action against him for comments made to the media on that subject, imposing a £50,000 (S$107,000) fine and a one-game stadium ban, suspended for 12 months, earlier this month. The stadium ban will come into force if he breaches FA rule E3 - which obliges managers to "act in the best interests of the game" and "not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute" - before Oct 16 next year.

Mourinho ensured he cannot be punished for any media comments by refusing to speak after Saturday's match, which was decided by Andy Carroll's late winner and also featured a red card for Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic.

But he may have to explain his part in referee Jonathan Moss' decision to banish him to the stands at half-time, a fate that had already befallen first-team coach Silvino Louro during the first half.

Moss' report will be sent to the FA in the next few days. Reports suggested Mourinho had attempted to enter the referee's changing room without permission and if so, the FA are likely to take a dim view.

Mourinho's media silence at a post-match press conference also broke Premier League rules, although a fine in that instance would be levied against the club.

His expulsion followed a frantic period of play at Upton Park. Mauro Zarate fired West Ham in front, Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma had a header cleared right on the goal-line and Cesc Fabregas had an equaliser chalked off in a marginal offside decision.

Matic was dismissed shortly before half-time after a second yellow for a foul on Diafra Sakho, prompting first Louro and then Mourinho to incur sanctions from the referee.

The 10 men equalised through Gary Cahill early in the second half, but Carroll's 79th-minute winner means Chelsea finished the day in 15th place.

Cahill told BBC: "In the first half the Cesc Fabregas goal could have been given and we had the goal that was nearly over the line. That sums up the way we're going. And then we've got the sending-off. Originally we played on - we thought the referee had played on. Maybe the assistant called it back. I'm not sure sure what's happened there.

"We've not had the rub of the green, but we're not feeling sorry for ourselves. We have to work hard to turn this around."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic expressed sympathy with Mourinho's recent complaints over match officials, which included reservations about decisions in a recent 3-1 home defeat by Southampton in the Premier League and the mid-week 0-0 draw with Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League.

Yet the Croat was adamant that Moss and his officials had not been guilty of errors.

"I feel for him," Bilic said. "A lot of decisions from his point of view have gone against Chelsea - all together. But today (Saturday) I can defend those decisions, either as a referee or a West Ham manager.

Chelsea's predicament took some of the spotlight away from West Ham, who have now added the scalp of the champions to those of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City to cement their berth in the Champions League positions.

Carroll credited Bilic for the club's run of form.

"We've got a great atmosphere at the training ground. He's a top manager - he analyses the opposition and then tells us how to beat them," he told the BBC. "We thought we could beat them today. It wasn't about Chelsea, it was about us. We've had some great wins this season and hopefully we'll carry on."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS