After seven months, it's finally happened - someone has won a league game at "Fortress Fratton". Not since Hernan Crespo tucked into an empty net in early February has an away team taken three points off down the Eastern Road. Everton probably didn't deserve the right to break that run, to be honest. They looked very ordinary and although worked hard, did little else to impress. Unfortunately for us, we had a bad day at the office and very little seemed to come together.
The first half was evenly matched, and it soon became apparent that the sort of
free flowing football we'd seen at Fratton in recent games would not be making a return. With men packed behind the ball the visitors were making it hard for Pompey to play football. Eyal Berkovic was obviously seen as a serious threat, so much so that he was man-marked to death and made way at half time for LuaLua.
Chances came at a premium in the first 45, Nigel Quashie having both of Pompey's best efforts. First, his shot deflected off Berkovic and nearly crept in at the far post, although Martyn managed to quickly readjust and get an important touch. Second, he let rip a corker of a shot from twenty-five yards that dipped and swerved and smacked off the post, bouncing away to safety.
The woodwork was the hero at the other end, meanwhile, as Watson hit the outside of the left hand upright from a Pistone cross. Bent must also have thought he was going to open the scoring, yet somehow Stefanovic got across to stab the ball away to safety. Unsworth, captain for the day, also cleared from danger when Cahill was well placed. Meanwhile, Faye and Yakubu both fired wide, but 0-0 at half time was probably fair.
Into the second half, and Pompey came roaring out of the blocks. Unsworth and Quashie both forced Martyn into action with rangers, although their efforts were comfortably dealt with by the former England keeper. Bent went close from the edge of the area for Everton, before Weir connected with a corner from six yards out. I actually thought his header was in and was all set to burst into floods of tears; it was a solid connection and both his marker and Shaka had no idea.
Just when 0-0 looked a likely scoreline, a 50/50 free kick award went the way of Everton. Gravesen swung the ball in, Cahill beat Griffin to the header, and suddenly we've got a mountain to climb. From set pieces this season we have looked a tad doddery, but the delivery and finish were pretty decent. Everton hadn't really done enough to earn the goal, but they'd had their chance and taken it.
With not long left to go, predictably Everton sat back and sucked up the pressure. Disappointingly, there was no real final "push" from the lads. Instead there seemed an air of resignation that this really hadn't been our day, and it was time to go home and start again on Monday.
Deep into injury time Kamara went down in the area, although the referee decided to award a free kick the other way. I'll be honest, it was at the other end of the pitch so there's a fair chance I missed something like a handball, especially since Kamara wasn't booked for diving. In the end it just capped off a frustrating day where we always seemed to be fighting as much against our own inability to tie anything together, as well as Everton's hassling and work rate.
So overall, not the best performance of the season but at the same time it's hardly time to panic. It's still early, we're still fourteenth, and Everton are third and riding a wave of confidence. We have to try and win our home games, but this is the first one we've lost for over half a year. The reaction of some fans to boo the players off was, in my opinion, truly pathetic. It's also interesting that Nigel Quashie now seems to be "accepted", instead it's Griffin and Faye who are being casted out as the new boo-boys for seemingly no reason. Still, you can always trust our self-proclaimed "best fans in the country" to be fickle; if we'd won we'd be looking at the UEFA Cup and now we've lost we're rubbish again.
Man of the match: Quashie. For the third league game in a row he's dominated the midfield and had some good strikes on goal. Sooner or later one is going to fly in.
Moan of the match: How easily we gave up possession; there were a lot of wayward passes out there this evening. The moaning fans also deserve a mention. Get a grip for crying out loud, we've been waiting to be in this league for years and now we're here a narrow home defeat "isn't good enough".
Team: Hislop, Griffin, Primus, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Quashie, Faye, Berkovic (LuaLua, 45), Berger, Fuller (Kamara, 68), Yakubu
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Chances came at a premium in the first 45, Nigel Quashie having both of Pompey's best efforts. First, his shot deflected off Berkovic and nearly crept in at the far post, although Martyn managed to quickly readjust and get an important touch. Second, he let rip a corker of a shot from twenty-five yards that dipped and swerved and smacked off the post, bouncing away to safety.
The woodwork was the hero at the other end, meanwhile, as Watson hit the outside of the left hand upright from a Pistone cross. Bent must also have thought he was going to open the scoring, yet somehow Stefanovic got across to stab the ball away to safety. Unsworth, captain for the day, also cleared from danger when Cahill was well placed. Meanwhile, Faye and Yakubu both fired wide, but 0-0 at half time was probably fair.
Into the second half, and Pompey came roaring out of the blocks. Unsworth and Quashie both forced Martyn into action with rangers, although their efforts were comfortably dealt with by the former England keeper. Bent went close from the edge of the area for Everton, before Weir connected with a corner from six yards out. I actually thought his header was in and was all set to burst into floods of tears; it was a solid connection and both his marker and Shaka had no idea.
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With not long left to go, predictably Everton sat back and sucked up the pressure. Disappointingly, there was no real final "push" from the lads. Instead there seemed an air of resignation that this really hadn't been our day, and it was time to go home and start again on Monday.
Deep into injury time Kamara went down in the area, although the referee decided to award a free kick the other way. I'll be honest, it was at the other end of the pitch so there's a fair chance I missed something like a handball, especially since Kamara wasn't booked for diving. In the end it just capped off a frustrating day where we always seemed to be fighting as much against our own inability to tie anything together, as well as Everton's hassling and work rate.
So overall, not the best performance of the season but at the same time it's hardly time to panic. It's still early, we're still fourteenth, and Everton are third and riding a wave of confidence. We have to try and win our home games, but this is the first one we've lost for over half a year. The reaction of some fans to boo the players off was, in my opinion, truly pathetic. It's also interesting that Nigel Quashie now seems to be "accepted", instead it's Griffin and Faye who are being casted out as the new boo-boys for seemingly no reason. Still, you can always trust our self-proclaimed "best fans in the country" to be fickle; if we'd won we'd be looking at the UEFA Cup and now we've lost we're rubbish again.
Man of the match: Quashie. For the third league game in a row he's dominated the midfield and had some good strikes on goal. Sooner or later one is going to fly in.
Moan of the match: How easily we gave up possession; there were a lot of wayward passes out there this evening. The moaning fans also deserve a mention. Get a grip for crying out loud, we've been waiting to be in this league for years and now we're here a narrow home defeat "isn't good enough".
Team: Hislop, Griffin, Primus, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Quashie, Faye, Berkovic (LuaLua, 45), Berger, Fuller (Kamara, 68), Yakubu