Chelsea have launched an appeal with the Football Association against the red card Frank Lampard received in the club's 4-0 win against West Ham on Saturday.
The England midfielder was dismissed for only the second time in his career when he responded to a challenge by West Ham's Luis Boa Morte.
Lampard appeared to shove Boa Morte in the chest but it is understood referee Peter Walton told Chelsea players he acted on advice from assistant referee Guy Beale, who believed he saw Lampard strike Boa Morte in the face.
An FA statement said Lampard was sent off for 'violent conduct' and the claim for 'wrongful dismissal' will be heard by a regulatory commission tomorrow.
The decision to appeal was a delicate one for Chelsea. The red card carries an automatic three-match ban which would see Lampard miss Chelsea's FA Cup trip to Barnsley next weekend and Premier League games against relegation strugglers Derby and Sunderland.
By appealing the club risk the ban being extended to the match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on March 19, a fixture in which Chelsea will be hoping to avenge their Carling Cup final defeat.
A similar appeal by Middlesbrough following the sending off of Jeremie Aliadiere was rejected recently and saw the French striker recieve an extra one-game ban after the FA claimed the appeal was "frivolous".
