22 December 2009 / REUTERS, LONDON
Frank Lampard converted three penalties but only one counted as his Chelsea side pulled four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Sunday.
The England midfielder, back at his old Upton Park stomping ground, kept cool after referee Mike Dean ordered two retakes of his penalty early in the second half because players from both sides encroached into the area. Lampard’s goal gave Chelsea 41 points from 18 games, four ahead of champions Manchester United who are second after losing 3-0 at Fulham on Saturday. West Ham stayed second from bottom, a point ahead of Portsmouth. Chelsea, though, gave another lacklustwe display and have collected five points from a possible 12 in the league this month. United have also been inconsistent, suffering two defeats in their last three games. Elsewhere on Sunday, Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up to 12th spot by beating 14th-placed Burnley 2-0 and Everton drew 1-1 at home to Birmingham City. The result took Birmingham up to seventh on 28 points while Everton lie 15th.
