REPORT: Pompey 4, Coventry City 1

Callum Lang inspires a monumental comeback as Pompey return to winning ways with a comfortable victory over Frank Lampard's Coventry at Fratton Park.

Four Formidable goals from Callum Lang helps Portsmouth come from 1-0 down to win 4-1 in an eventful lunchtime fixture against Coventry City.

Pompey fans were quite literally walking in a ‘Winter wonderLang’ as the number 49 became the first man to score four goals in a Blues shirt since Yakubu did in a Premier League match at home Middlesbrough in the 2003/04 season.

Lang is also the first Pompey player to score a hat-trick or more since Marc McNulty’s three goals in a six-one-win against York City in 2015.

Norman Bassette’s opening goal inside three minutes was not enough for the Sky Blues after the Belgian under-21 forward gave City the lead inside just 3 minutes.

Ephron Mason-Clark's ball into the area was finished off by Bassette, after the former Posh winger dazzled past the returning Zack Swanson just moments after the referee’s whistle to kick-off the game.

Mason-Clark then had a chance of his own just moments later, when City captain Ben Sheaf lobbed the ball onto Bassette, who laid it off for the winger whose effort came back off the inside of the post, before Pompey keeper Nicholas Schmid got both gloves onto the ball.

Frank Lampard’s side were on top in the opening ten minutes, putting Pompey on the back foot early on making light work of the Blues back line.

Portsmouth found a way however on fourteen minutes when they won a corner which was cleared by City keeper Brad Collins, falling to Freddie Potts who set the ball onto Lang volleying the ball home from outside the area to score the equalizer to make it one-one.

Pompey kept the momentum going as for the rest of the first forty-five they were on top, and that momentum was rewarded when Lang was gifted the ball after a poor headed clearance from Jay Dasilva allowing Lang to hammer the ball on his right foot past Collins to put the Blue Army two-one up just before half-time.

Half-time: Portsmouth 2-1 Coventry City

John Mousinho's side came out all guns blazing ahead of the second half, with Pompey winning a corner early on which was whipped in by Potts and surprisingly finished off by a man who is not known for scoring headers, but here he did, and that man was Callum Lang who pulled a rabbit out the hat to make it a hat-trick and three-one to Pompey minutes into the second-half.

Then just over then minutes later, Colby Bishop got on to the end of Matt Ritchie's cross, but was denied by Collins who made a double save, with the second only just clearing the ball off the line, but that ball fell to the feet of who else? But Callum Lang to make it four-one to Portsmouth on fifty-5 minutes.

Lampard then immediately made 4 substitutes for City, bringing off Mason-Clark for Brandon Thomas-Asante, Bobby Thomas for Joel Latibeaudiere, Victor Torp for Josh Eccles, and the goal scorer Bassette was off for Ellis Simms.

Pompey then brought off Josh Murphy who moments before smacked the ball off the roof of the bar, almost making it five-one, he was off for Paddy Lane on seventy minutes.

Sky Blues captain Ben Sheaf then gave Latibeaudiere the armband when he came off for Jamie Allen. 

Then the comfortably deserved man of the match Callum Lang received a standing ovation from the Fratton Park crowd, when he came off for Owen Moxon with just under ten minutes to go.

Full-time: Portsmouth 4-1 Coventry City

Portsmouth F.C: 13. Schmid (GK), 3. Ogilvie, 7. Pack (C), 4. Towler, 22. Swanson, 30. Ritchie, 8. Potts, 21. Dozzell, 23. Murphy (32. Lane), 49. Lang (17. Moxon), 9. Bishop (Formation: 4-2-3-1)

Unused Subs: 31. Archer (GK), 15. Saydee, 16. McIntyre, 20. Silvera, 24. Devlin, 41. Clout, 43. Ani

Goals:  Lang 14’ Lang 43 Lang 48’ Lang 55’

Bookings: Pack 32’ (yellow)

Manager: John Mousinho

Coventry City: 40. Collins (GK), 27. Van Ewijk, 4. Thomas (22. Latibeaudiere), 2. Binks, 3. Dasilva, 29. Torp (28. Eccles), 14. Sheaf (C) (8. Allen), 7. Sakamoto, 5. Rudoni, 10. Mason-Clark (23. Thomas-Asante), 37. Bassette (9. Simms) (Formation: 4-2-3-1)

Unused Subs: 1. Dovin, 15. Kitching, 21. Bidwell, 30. Tavares

Goals: Bassette 3’

Manager: Frank Lampard

Referee: Dean Whitestone

Venue: Fratton Park

Attendance: 20,330