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Pompey saw their unbeaten
start to the Championship campaign come to an end against table-topping
Sunderland at Fratton Park. An unfortunate Zak Swanson own-goal gave the visitors a half-time lead in a game of very few scoring opportunities. But the Black Cats were more clinical, with Alan Browne and Romaine Mundle both striking after the break. A stoppage-time own-goal from Luke O'Nien did at least give the Fratton faithful something to cheer. John Mousinho made two changes from the side that drew with Middlesbrough on Teesside the previous week. Matt Ritchie was handed a first start since his summer return, while Sammy Silvera – who was ineligible to face his parent club – returned. Paddy Lane and Elias Sørensen both dropped to the bench, joined by recent arrivals Freddie Potts, Mark O’Mahony and Ibane Bowat. There was a minute’s applause before kick-off in memory of former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who passed away earlier in the week at the age of 76. The first half was a largely nondescript affair, with neither side able to find any kind of attacking rhythm. There was a Ritchie free-kick that was met by Connor Ogilvie, but his header was comfortably dealt with by Anthony Patterson. Patrick Roberts cut inside from the right at the other end of the pitch and his effort flew wide of the post. But chances were at a premium and it seemed likely that the interval would arrive without any goals being scored. And it took an extremely unfortunate moment from the hosts to give Sunderland the lead on 31 minutes. Trai Hume’s low delivery was met by Eliezer Mayenda, whose close-range effort was well saved by Will Norris. Jordan Williams tried to send the loose ball to safety, only for it to hit team-mate Swanson and fly into the net. Pompey showed endeavour in their attempts to hit back, but Silvera could not keep his shot down, while Ritchie’s deflected attempt looped harmlessly into Patterson’s arms. Half Time: Pompey 0 Sunderland 1 Neither side came charging out of the blocks following the restart, with the game still struggling to come to life. But the visitors were able to score a soft second on 51 minutes, with the Blues unable to clear and Browne and Mayenda both claiming the final touch. And it soon got even worse for Pompey, as possession was stolen by Chris Rigg and Mayenda teed-up Mundle to angle the ball into the net. Mousinho responded with a quadruple change, including handing debuts to Abdoulaye Kamara and O’Mahony. Kusini Yengi and Lane were also brought on, as Christian Saydee, Andre Dozzell, Silvera and Ritchie made way. Pompey tried to fight back and Marlon Pack’s long throw caused a scramble in the Black Cats box, but nobody could force the ball over the line. They had more control, but were unable to convert that into anything that would seriously test Patterson between the sticks. And the contest eventually petered towards a conclusion, although there was at least a Blues consolation to provide some cheer. The ball came into the box from wide on the left from Lane and Swanson nodded it back into the mixer, where O'Nien inadvertently headed into his own net. |
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