Football: West Ham rib Chelsea with '19th-century' tweet

LONDON - West Ham United poked fun at Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho with a tongue-in-cheek Twitter message ahead of the teams' Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Friday.

Mourinho had accused West Ham of employing overly defensive tactics following the 0-0 draw between the sides in January, saying Sam Allardyce's team had played "football from the 19th century".

In response, West Ham posted a sepia-coloured picture of a horse and cart on their Twitter page, accompanied by the caption: "The West Ham United team coach (and horse) has arrived at @chelseafc for today's game #19thcenturyfootball".

Mourinho, whose side lead the table, backtracked on his comments on the eve of Friday's game against fourth-place West Ham, saying his choice of words had been "silly".