The Blues are beaten on the road yet again as Blackburn pick up their first Championship win in 6 games.
Portsmouth plummet further down the Championship table to second from bottom after a deflating defeat in Lancashire away to Blackburn Rovers.
It’s now 6 consecutive defeats on the road in all competitions for John Mousinho’s side, following a loss which consisted of three extremely controversial goals scored by Rovers at Ewood Park this evening.
John Eustace’s side’s first two goals were after what could have been two penalties awarded to Pompey and the build up to the third goal was visibly offside, which put the final nail into the coffin on what had been a painful and frustrating night for the Blues.
Rovers had a chance early on, in a battle of the Austrian’s when Andreas Weimann was left one on one with fellow Austrian native Nicholas Schmid, but thirty-three year old’s dinked effort could not quite end up in the back of net, but instead looping the ball over the bar to let Pompey off the hook inside less then just 15 minutes.
Just moments before half-time Colby Bishop got his head onto the end of Marlon Pack’s lay off from a Paddy Lane corner, but the Blues number nine was just a mere inch away from giving his side the lead, but the crossbar came to the aid of Rovers keeper Ainsley Pears to keep the scoreline 0-0.
Paddy Lane landed awkwardly on his left leg just minutes before the half-time whistle, forcing John Mousinho to bring the former Fleetwood town winger; who could hardly put any weight on his left side as he was helped off by the Pompey medical staff.
Half-time: Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Portsmouth
Lane was inevitably subbed off ahead of the second forty-five, with Mousinho shuffling around his formation from a 4-2-3-1, into a 4-1-4-1, when Jamaican international Issac Hayden came on to make his Pompey debut after signing on loan until the end of the season last week.
Hayden was ordered to sit in front of the defence, whilst Callum Lang was pushed out to the right wing from his usual spot behind the striker in attacking midfield, to free up a space in defensive midfield for the Newcastle loanee.
Ten minutes into the second half, Portsmouth were denied a penalty when Bishop got onto the end of Murphy’s cross who headed the ball goal wards after being manhandled down to the ground in the penalty area, but referee Farai Hallam decided against giving Portsmouth a penalty amid the Blues frustration.
A few minutes later after a Championship record of a total forty-one passes that were racked up by John Eustace’s side, a record ten years in the making, led to the first goal of the game to put Blackburn 1-0 up.
Ex Barnsley and MK Dons right-back Callum Brittain, launched the ball into the Portsmouth penalty area, before substitute Makhtar Gueye headed home to put Rovers a goal up.
Then just five minutes later, Callum Lang was wiped out in the Blackburn Penalty area, which apparently again, was not what was a stonewall penalty to Pompey according to Hallam, which led to the Riverside’s breaking forward onto the counter attack.
It was a clever dummy from Arsenal loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry who laid the ball off to Brittain who fired the ball into the top right hand corner to make it two-nil to Blackburn.
Then it was a third controversial goal from Eustace’s side, when Gueye was played quite a few feet offside by substitute Ryley Towler, but the linesman failed to put up his flag allowing the Senegalese striker to hit the ball at Schmid who made a great save to deny a third.
However, the Austrian’s initial heroics were not enough to keep the scoreline a 2-0 as it was Andreas Weimann who came back for round two with Schmid to finish off his parried save to make it 3-0 to Rovers.
Full time: Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Portsmouth
Next up: It’s back to Fratton Park for the first time since New Year’s Day, as Portsmouth welcome Michael Carrick’s high-flying Middlesbrough in a 3pm kick off this Saturday.
Boro sit 5th in the standings and will be looking to get three points off the Blues this time around after the 2-2 draw at the Riverside back in August.
Pompey had the lead in that game back in the summer, but it was ex Bristol City forward Tommy Conway, who snatched what would have been well grafted three points from Pompey, when he scored from the penalty spot in the ninetieth minute.
Can Pompey get back to winning ways this weekend, in front of what looks to be a full house at Fratton Park? Or will the Blues’ recent away form of defeats sink into what has been a consistent unbeaten run at home.
Blackburn Rovers: 1. Pears (GK), 2. Brittain, 5. Hyam, 15. Batth, 24. Beck, 21. Buckley (28. Forshaw), 6. Tronstad (C), 10. Dolan (33. Cozier-Duberry), 8. Cantwell (31. Sanderson), 19. Hedges (9. Gueye), 14. Weimann (11. Rankin-Costello)
Unused Subs: 12. Toth (GK), 20. Leonard, 31. Tyjon, 40. Litherland
Goals: Gueye 55’ Brittain 71’ Weimann 76’
Bookings: Tronstad 50’
Portsmouth: 13. Schmid (GK), 22. Swanson, 7. Pack (C), 35. Atkinson (4. Towler), 3. Ogilvie, 8. Potts, 21. Dozzell (15. Haydee), 32. Lane (45. Hayden), 49. Lang (24. Devlin), 23. Murphy (30. Ritchie) 9. Bishop
Unused Subs: 1. Norris (GK), 2. Williams, 16, McIntyre, 17. Moxon
Bookings: Potts 19’ Murphy 81’ Devlin 87’
Venue: Ewood Park
Attendance: 13,703 (Including 1,532 away supporters)
Referee: Farai Hallam
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