Chelsea are likely to appeal against Frank Lampard's red card following Saturday's 4-0 Premier League win over West Ham at Upton Park.The Blues were already controlling the game with three goals inside five first-half minutes before Lampard was given his marching orders for appearing to slap Luis Boa Morte.

The referee's assistant told referee Peter Walton that Lampard's hand connected with Boa Morte's face and the midfielder was given a straight red card.

But manager Avram Grant will wait for video evidence before deciding whether to appeal against the decision.

Grant said: "The assistant referee said that Frank slapped the face of Boa Morte. If it is true, I think the rule is that it is a red card. If not, maybe someone else needs to get a red card.

"I will wait to see it but if the assistant referee is right, it is a red card. I have not asked Frank about it."

Grant was delighted with the way his side bounced back from their Carling Cup final defeat by Tottenham last Sunday.

The win puts Chelsea just seven points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.

"In the last five or six months, the players have given more than 90% good performances and that has made me happy," said Grant.

"We played very well and used our chances in the first half. In the second half, we played with one man short but very cleverly.

"We controlled the game in the second half and they didn't create one chance really. We needed to play a little bit differently tactically and I think we did it very well.

"I think we have always been in the title race and we need to keep there. I thought the goal we scored in the first two minutes was a good one but we are used to these decisions."

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley believes Chelsea are right back in the title hunt after watching his side taken apart by some clinical finishing.

Curbishley saw Lampard put the Blues ahead from the penalty spot in the 16th minute, Joe Cole add a second three minutes later and Michael Ballack hit a third in the 21st minute.

Left-back Ashley Cole completed the rout in the second half to leave Curbishley full of admiration for his opponents' finishing skills.

"Chelsea have put themselves back in the race with a performance that shows what happened last week was a one-off and they are on the way back," said Curbishley.

"It sounds mad, but even though they scored three goals, two of them clinical finishes, I thought the first half was quite even in terms of the football.

"The two finishes from Joe Cole and Michael Ballack were clinical. They won't hit two sweeter strikes.

"To go three down in five minutes against a top-four team makes it massively difficult. When you give yourself a start like that, there is no way you can come back.

"Chelsea have a massively talented squad. You are talking about a side and a squad which, if you don't get right and find yourself three down in 20-odd minutes, that is a massive situation to come back. We couldn't do that.

"We are desperately disappointed for ourselves and our fans and we have got to try and bounce back from this.

"When you are playing against a top-three or four side and go two down quickly, it is a long way to come back. Even with 10-men, we couldn't break them down.

"But if I just took the goals out of it, I think it was pretty even. But they went up four times in the first half and one disallowed and scored three. It was clinical finishing.

"We have prided ourselves on our defending as a team but we got it wrong today. Not just the back five, but Joe Cole and Ballack got away and we'll have to have a look at why that happened.

"With 10 men, we

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