Summary: City’s long trip to the south coast ended in disappointment when substitute Kanu grabbed a winner with around 10 minutes left. An early screamer from Mendes brought back horrible memories of last season, but City fought back and deserved the equaliser from Corradi. It looked like we would get a point before the former Arsenal man pounced, and City had their first away defeat for two months.
Team news: City made four changes to the side that started against Reading. Andreas Isaksson started for the first time after Nick Weaver failed to recover from the hip injury that saw him leave the field before the break.
Michael Ball was in for his City debut, Jihai Sun returned after a season ruined by a hamstring injury sustained last summer and Bernardo Corradi was back up front.
Hatem Trabelsi was absent through injury, with DaMarcus Beasley and Georgios Samaras the players being replaced.
The hosts were without defensive colossus Linvoy Primus, while familiar faces in Andy Cole and David James lined up against their recent team mates.
The Match
It was the real Groundhog Day in the US last week, but it felt like the film after just four minutes when Pedro Mendes scored a stunning, long-range goal for the home side, just as he had done twice in this fixture last year. Andreas Isaksson punched a corner clear straight to the midfielder, who controlled the ball and then slammed the ball back over the him from 25 yards out.
Portsmouth had their tails up, and Isaksson was forced to push a bouncing Lua Lua effort around his post six minutes later. As yet, City had been unable to get a foothold in the match.
Isaksson was in action again on 14 minutes, tipping a shot from Taylor over his bar. The Swedish stopper denied Lua Lua again on 23, pushing a curling effort wide of his left hand post.
City were still on the back foot after half an hour, and were inches away from going two down. Lua Lua swung in a low cross from the right, and Micah Richards deflected the ball just wide of the post with Djimi Traore lurking within the six yard box.
City had a pair of corners on 34 minutes, but after the first a mass of City players were around referee Dean claiming a penalty. Distin and Traore had risen to Barton’s ball in, and it appeared to hit the Portsmouth defender’s raised arm, but the referee simply gave another corner. Corradi volleyed into the side netting seconds later, the closest City had come to scoring so far.
Joey Barton was booked on 40 minutes for catching Mendes on the ankle from behind, and after lengthy treatment the goalscorer was stretchered off the field, being replaced by Lauren. The home crowd were incensed and the atmosphere seemed to affect the game.
David James denied his former club deep into stoppage time, acrobatically palming away Corradi’s close range header.
City should have had at least a corner five minutes into the second half. Corradi’s great ball across the pitch found Ball, whose low cross towards Vassell in the area looked to have been put behind by Traore.
Pompey were dominating proceedings, and Dunne had to be alert to deny Johnson inside the area as the on-loan Chelsea defender raced into the City area.
But on 62 minutes City levelled the scores in front of their own fans! Sun Jihai won possession, fed Barton who then found Vassell, whose great cross was superbly headed in from eight yards out by Bernardo Corradi, silencing the stunned home supporters.
Isaksson pulled off a great save from a close range header just two minutes later, and on 67 Michael Ball rifled a shot just wide as the game opened up.
Kanu had come on as a replacement for Cole, and with 10 minutes left the move paid off when he struck to give Pompey the lead again. Johnson threaded the ball into the box from a corner, and the former Arsenal striker slid the ball past Isaksson into the far bottom corner of the net.
A frantic end to the game ensued, with Corradi claiming a penalty for handball late on, but the game ended with the hosts killing time near the corner flag to ensure City’s first away defeat for two months.
