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Pompey were left cursing a
host of missed chances as they somehow lost a game they dominated at
Sheffield United. They had already fought back from Gustavo Hamer’s opener against the run of play to level through Connor Ogilvie. But the Blues were unable to take any of their other numerous openings and were made to pay when substitute Jesurun Rak-Sakyi struck in the second half. John Mousinho made no changes to the starting line-up following the previous week’s draw with Burnley on home soil. But new signings Adil Aouchiche and Kaide Gordon were both named on the bench, along with skipper Marlon Pack. Pompey did not look like a side battling for survival as they attacked their promotion-chasing opponents throughout the first half. An early Callum Lang free-kick found the wall, while the forward then sent Colby Bishop clear, only for Michael Cooper to come from his line and avert the danger. Bishop soon tried to convert Josh Murphy’s low cross with a back-heel, but Anel Ahmedhodžić came to the rescue with a timely block. And even though a Hamer effort was diverted behind at the other end, it was still looking more likely that the Blues would break the deadlock. They should have gone ahead when Murphy collected Ogilvie’s ball down the line and hit a cross that was deflected into the path of a stretching Lang, who could only fire over from close range. Sheffield United made them rue that miss by taking the lead on 24 minutes, as Hamer was found in space by Ben Brereton Díaz before curling home a fine finish. But Pompey were not behind for long and when Murphy once again sent in a teasing delivery, OGILVIE slid in to convert with his right foot. The visitors were not content to sit back from there, though, and a Matt Ritchie free-kick was held by Cooper. Murphy then surged inside from wide on the left and hit a fierce 25-yard strike that left the crossbar rattling. And when the winger crossed into the box for one final time before the break, Ogilvie turned the ball over from just a few yards out. The Blades had the last opportunity, however, as Harry Clarke’s header from a corner was turned around the post by Nicolas Schmid. Half Time: Sheffield United 1 Pompey 1 There was no let up from the visitors when the action restarted and they thought they had taken the lead on 49 minutes. Bishop neatly finished after meeting a Murphy free-kick, but had strayed marginally offside and his celebrations were cut short. Pompey were finding it all to easy to breach their opponents’ back-line, leading to cries of frustration from the stands. An opportunistic strike from Murphy was soon kept out by Cooper, with the keeper reacting quickly to then leap on the loose ball. Cooper continued to be kept busy and after a corner was only partially dealt with, he tipped over Murphy’s attempt. The hosts responded with a triple switch just before the hour mark, with Rak-Sakyi among those to enter the fray. And they finally carved out a chance of their own when Clarke cut in from the right and curled a shot narrowly past the post. But the Blues were soon back on the attack and Murphy’s overhead kick brilliantly kept the ball in play. Lang then played it through for Bishop, whose shot was well blocked by Jack Robinson, with the officials somehow awarding a goal-kick. Despite their dominance, however, it was the Blades who struck on 73 minutes, as two of their substitutes combined. Rhian Brewster sent a low ball into the box and Rak-Sakyi managed to wriggle free of attention to divert it into the net. They might have scored again at the end of a quick break up the pitch, but Tom Cannon fired wastefully over. Aouchiche had earlier come on for the Blues, with fellow winter arrivals Gordon and Hayden Matthews joining him, as Ritchie, Andre Dozzell and Conor Shaughnessy made way. But despite committing plenty of men forward for the closing stages, the Blues were unable to force the equaliser their performance deserved. |
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