The Portsmouth players felt like giving away an early Christmas present to their opponents and gifted the away side the lead as Rob Hulse leapt above the home defence to head in a 4th minute opener.
We were utter crap in the first half, and that's being kind. We were second to every ball and we couldn't keep hold of it when we had it. The team lacked any sort of shape and everyone struggled to get their passing game going. I can only remember a single shot at Paddy Kenny in the first half which came from Kanu but it was easily dealt with.
Graham Poll also did his best to help the Blades by giving every little decision their way. They could have gone two up before the break as Danny Webber went clean through on goal but only put his shot wide. It's safe to say that despite Poll's interference, Sheffield United definitely deserved their lead.
Good thing there are two halves to every game.
I don't know what Harry Redknapp said during the interval but it seemed to do the trick as we were level not long after the restart. Benjani whipped in a cross from the right and Robert Kozluk turned the ball into his own net to draw Pompey level.
That goal really fired up the players and the crowd and defeat was turned into victory as soon after the equaliser, a corner from Matt Taylor was swung in and Sol Campbell beat the United defence in the air to head in his first ever goal for Pompey.
Things got even better as the resurgent home side kept the pressure well on Neil Warnock's side and his side were beaten in the air again as Noe Pamarot nodded in a third goal for Pompey from a Pedro Mendes corner. The game pretty much petered out after that in truth as Sheffield huffed and puffed but couldn't take advantage of our complacency towards the end of the game.
Graham Poll had an awful game and to make matters worse he denied us a clear penalty in stoppage time as Sean Davis was chopped down in the box. Harry said in his post-match interview that Poll told him he knew it was a penalty, so why didn't he give it? It wouldn't have had any effect on the outcome of the game but it would have boosted our goal difference. Yet another example of incompetent refereeing by Mr. Poll.
I think we were worth a win today. Our first half performance was dire with many of our players looking off the pace but we were so much better in the second and ended up winning at a canter. I'm still a bit concerned at the way we seem to drop off after the game looks like it's won. Better sides would have made more of the chances that Sheffield United were presented with today.
Graham Poll needs demoting too. He gave everything petty yet missed the main decisions. There was also a question mark over whether the corner that led to Campbell's goal should have been given. Either way, both Harry Redknapp and Neil Warnock were unimpressed with the way Poll "took charge" of this game and I don't blame them for feeling that way because over 20,000 people no doubt felt the same.
At the end of the day I can't complain too much. It's another win that now puts us on 32 points after half the season is gone. The bad news in terms of the league is that the sides directly above us won which means we haven't moved up the table. The good news is that the sides directly below us lost which means there's now a 4 point gap between Pompey in 6th and Tottenham in 7th.
There were chants of "We're all going on a European tour" ringing around Fratton Park by the time we were winning today. Qualification for Europe is certainly a possibility at this rate but we need to keep our feet on the ground because there's still a long way to go. For now, I'd say we're 8 points away from virtually guaranteed Premiership football next season and only two wins away from our final points total last season!
One final point that has nothing to do with the game. Who is the moron in charge of South West Trains who decided to start engineering works on the last day of Christmas shopping when there's a game at Fratton Park!? It was an absolute nightmare getting to and from the stadium with traffic jams all around Portsmouth! I swear the FA must be in charge of National Rail, such is the incompetance of their organisation.
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 7 - Made a couple of decent saves but his distribution was bad today.
Glen Johnson: 6 - Not a good first half as he was indecisive and made a few mistakes but he supported the team far better in the second half.
Linvoy Primus: 8 - Didn't really put a foot wrong and did very well against the pacy Danny Webber. Infallible in the air once again.
Sol Campbell: 7 - Not his best defensive performance but took his goal well.
Noe Pamarot: 8 - Man Of The Match. Noe continues to impress me and has gone from zero to hero. Very strong at the back today and now has got his second goal in two games!
Gary O'Neil: 6 - Woeful first half. A lot better in the second.
Sean Davis: 6 - Battler in the centre of midfield but rating is lowered because of a poor first half.
Pedro Mendes: 6 - Anonymous until his assist for Pamarot's goal. Pedro was soon his usual self afterwards.
Matthew Taylor: 7 - The only player to come out of the first half with any sort of credit. An energetic, solid display from the Pompey man of the month.
Benjani: 7 - Worked his arse off as per usual and set up the equaliser.
Kanu: 7 - Excellent hold-up play but didn't get much of a sniff at goal today.
Subs
Jamie Ashdown
Andy O'Brien
Niko Kranjcar: N/A - Late sub.
Manuel Fernandes: N/A - Little time to impress though did show a sublime piece of skill.
Andy Cole: N/A - Didn't get much time but it's just good to have another forward available for the busy period ahead.