Lampard red card rescinded

London, Jan 03: The red card received by Frank Lampard in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat by Liverpool was rescinded on Tuesday after the Football Association upheld the England midfielder's appeal for wrongful dismissal. Lampard was ordered off for what referee Mike Riley saw as a dangerous challenge on Liverpool counterpart Xabi Alonso in Sunday's match at Anfield.

Television replays showed that Lampard had taken the ball cleanly. If anything, Alonso's approach to the 50-50 challenge was more reckless with the Spaniard's boot going over the ball with studs showing before catching Lampard on the lower shin. The incident happened just before the hour mark and Liverpool went on to claim all three points with two goals from Fernando Torres in the closing minutes.

The FA's decision will leave everyone at Chelsea deeply aggrieved given the damage that Sunday's defeat has done to the club's chances of winning the Premier League title. Chelsea are now five points adrift of leaders Manchester United , who have a game in hand, and manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has admitted it will be difficult to bridge the gap.

Bureau Report