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Colby Bishop's deft finish
saw Pompey beat top-of-the-table Leeds in a breathless contest at a
pulsating Fratton Park. The striker found the target midway through the second half to move the Blues one step closer to Championship survival. And it was by no means a fluke victory, with both teams creating plenty of chances on the sunny south coast. John Mousinho made one change from the side that were narrowly beaten at Luton the previous week. Freddie Potts returned to the starting line-up and Isaac Hayden dropped to the bench, where he was joined by a fit-again Thomas Waddingham. The atmosphere was electric from the start and the hosts soon made their intentions clear, trying to press their high-flying opponents and not allow them a chance to settle. Both sides looked dangerous going forward as the game began at a breakneck speed, although clear-cut opportunities were still at a premium. A Potts effort was deflected past the post, while Illan Meslier did well to collect a teasing Josh Murphy delivery. At the other end, Regan Poole and Marlon Pack both threw themselves bravely into the path of shots to frustrate the visitors. Potts fired another attempt over the bar on 34 minutes, while Connor Ogilvie had one shot blocked and another audacious long-range strike was not too far off target. But Nicolas Schmid came to Pompey’s rescue at the other end, with a superb double stop to keep the game goalless. He dived to his right to keep out the initial effort from Manor Solomon, then reacted brilliantly to repel Joël Piroe’s follow-up. Half Time: Pompey 0 Leeds 0 The Blues continued to look bright straight after the restart, but should have found themselves behind on 50 minutes. Their opponents broke quickly up the pitch and Dan James managed to pick out Solomon, who was forced wide by Schmid. But the winger managed to pull the ball back for Piroe, who blazed it over the bar from just a few yards out. Mousinho responded by making a change, with Terry Devlin – fresh from signing a new contract – replacing Adil Aouchiche. Pompey soon started to threaten themselves and Murphy dragged a shot wide before sending in a low cross that Bishop could not quite connect with. And they did break the deadlock on 61 minutes after Ogilvie played a superb pass from the left to release BISHOP. The striker then kept his composure to lift a delicate shot over Meslier, with the ball clipping the inside of the post before crossing the line. Leeds made a triple switch, but the Blues kept attacking and a fierce Andre Dozzell strike was beaten away by Meslier. Ritchie then swung a corner towards the far post, where the waiting Ogilvie could only nod past the post. Pompey’s second switch on 75 minutes saw the hard-working Ritchie make way for Cohen Bramall, as Murphy moved across to the right. The visitors tried to hit back and Junior Firpo had one shot saved by Schmid and a second cannon against the bar, with James nodding the loose ball wide. But the Blues soon came close to scoring again, as a fierce Murphy strike hit the post, drawing gasps from the Fratton faithful. Leeds applied pressure as the seconds ticked down, but Schmid saved from Sam Byram when a stoppage-time corner came in and that was enough to secure another precious three points. |
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