The first half, in honesty wasn't much to get excited about.
The only real chance Pompey created before the first goal came from a Pedro Mendes long shot that was deflected away for a corner. West Ham came and tried to play football and played some nice stuff at times but never really threatened the goal as Paul Konchesky kept trying potshots from way out. We struggled to play football (mainly due to Graham Poll blowing the whistle every five seconds) but we defended well and would soon take the lead as Glen Johnson produced an excellent cross that was met by a combination of Kanu's head and shoulder to place the ball in the corner of the net and give us the lead.
Kanu should have doubled the lead when a cross came into the box and deflected from a West Ham defender and into the path of the Nigerian in the centre of the box but he lashed his shot well wide when he should have buried it. That was the best it got in the first half which was best summed up by a brawl in the Milton End as it looked like West Ham fans were fighting each other! There was a lot of police activity in the away end by the corner of the stand that took at least five minutes to sort out and was probably the best action of the half!
The second half was different though as Pompey upped the tempo and began playing some football. West Ham again started brightly and Konchesky had a shot on target as David James made a smart save. Nigel Reo-Coker also thought he had scored but James made a great stop after the West Ham captain drilled his shot towards the bottom corner of the goal. That was the best chance in the game for the Hammers as our defence returned to their mean ways of old, not allowing the away side an inch for the majority of the second half and we looked in control as the team linked up well all over the pitch.
Harry then made a couple of subs as LuaLua and Andy Cole came on for Benjani and Kanu. If there were any late nerves from the crowd because the game was still 1-0 they were soon put to rest as Cole made an instant impact and shrugged off a West Ham challenge in the box, turned whilst being crowded by three men in claret and blue shirts and lashed a shot that nutmegged one of them and went past Roy Caroll to seal the game for Pompey. After that goal we could have had another in stoppage time as LuaLua ran into the box and had a shot from a tight angle saved.
In summary, I think we were worth our win based on our second half performance more than anything. We created better chances and controlled more of the game than West Ham. The result was just what we needed as it puts us currently third in the table as we head to Chelsea next week. I'm still convinced we can play better football, but as long as we keep defending as well as we are and creating the chances for our strikers to bury them at the other end. Who's complaining?
Bring on the champions!
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 7 - Made a couple of smart saves and kept the pressure off the defence with decent takes in the air. A couple of dodgy kicks though.
Glen Johnson: 8 - Man of the match for me. Excellent carrying the ball forward and very good defensively. Picked out a great cross for the opener and we'll miss him against Chelsea. (He can't play against the club he's loaned from.)
Sol Campbell: 8 - Dominant in the air as usual and made some crucial blocks and tackles.
Linvoy Primus: 7 - A typical Linvoy performance. Won most things in the air as usual.
Dejan Stefanovic: 6 - Solid if unspectacular.
Gary O'Neil: 7 - Industrious. Done his fair share of defensive work and got forward enough.
Pedro Mendes: 7 - Won the midfield battle against Hayden Mullins.
Manuel Fernandes: 7 - Started slow but then showed his quality all around the pitch with some great tackles and passes. He has an eye for a shot too! Obviously he has to start games so we can sign him though I feel a bit sorry for Davis who has done well up to this point.
Matthew Taylor: 6 - Worked hard as always but I felt he was a bit ineffective barring a free kick on target.
Benjani: 6 - Worked hard as usual but didn't really have an impact on the game.
Kanu: 7 - Scored but could, and should have had at least another one. Defended from the front well after a bollocking by Tony Adams after the Spurs game.
Subs
Dean Kiely
Noe Pamarot
Sean Davis
Lomana LuaLua: 6 - Did well when he came on but still a bit selfish. Almost scored at the death.
Andy Cole: 7 - Looked class when he came on and scored a great goal after holding off three West Ham defenders.