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BRISTOL CITY | 5 | 0 | PORTSMOUTH |
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Season 2025 / 2026 (A) Bristol City Championship |
| 1 January 2026 | TRANSFERMARKT | FOOTBALL DATABASE |
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BRISTOL CITY | 5 | 0 | PORTSMOUTH |
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Pompey were unable to take
their good form at the end of 2025 into the new year, as they crashed to a
5-0 defeat at Bristol City. At least two of the strikes were preventable, however, with possession lost in dangerous areas to allow both Anis Mehmeti and Sinclair Armstrong to find the net. The first of those had followed Adam Randell’s deflected finish to open the scoring, while the latter came soon after Scott Twine’s neat volley had given the hosts a three-goal lead early in the second half. Armstrong then added a stoppage-time fifth for the cofident Robins to well and truly rub salt into the Blues' wound. John Mousinho made four changes from the side that dramatically beat Charlton on home soil on Monday night. Conor Shaughnessy was handed a first start for more than three months following his goalscoring return from injury against the Addicks. There were also spots for Ibane Bowat, Luke Le Roux and John Swift, as Hayden Matthews, Conor Chaplin and Harvey Blair dropped to the bench and Marlon Pack missed out completely. Mousinho also opted for a switch in formation, with Swift and Adrian Segečić playing off lone striker Makenzie Kirk in a 3-4-2-1 system. The hosts saw plenty of the ball in the opening stages, but there was nothing to particularly concern Pompey at the back. So it was a blow when they fell behind on 11 minutes, as Twine’s free-kick was cleared as far as Randell, whose long-range strike appeared to deflect off Regan Poole on its way into the top corner. Most of the action continued to take place in the Blues’ half, although they came close to levelling on a rare foray forward. Swift swung in a dangerous free-kick from wide on the left and Bowat climbed highest at the back post to head narrowly over the bar. If that raised hopes among the travelling support, however, they were quickly dashed by a second goal for the Robins. Nicolas Schmid’s pass out of the box was intercepted by Mehmeti, who swapped passes with Jason Knight before firing a low shot into the bottom corner of the net. There were a couple of promising moments at the other end of the pitch, although nothing that led to any shots on goal. But despite the hosts enjoying a comfortable advantage, the Ashton Gate atmosphere was strangely flat – perhaps due to a few sore heads following New Year’s Eve revelries. The hosts might have been gifted another goal late in the half, with Shaughnessy hitting a pass straight to Mehmeti and Schmid having to get down low to his right to make a smart save. A Swift free-kick then caused issues in the Robins box just before the whistle blew, although Max O’Leary was able to get just enough on the ball to send it away from danger. Half Time: Bristol City 2 Pompey 0 Mousinho made a switch at the break, with Le Roux replaced by Blair, as the visitors switched to a more familiar back four It was still Bristol City looking the more threatening side, though, and Emil Riis saw his shot deflected wide after possession had been lost. But Pompey did fall further behind on 50 minutes, as Twine met a Neto Borges delivery on the volley and fired home. Such was the paucity of attacking threat from the visitors, there were ironic cheers when Poole – now at right-back – sent in a low delivery that O’Leary gathered and Kirk then had a shot deflected behind. And the mood in the away end did not improve when the home side were handed a fourth goal just before the hour mark. Bowat was unable to bring Schmid’s pass under control and Sam Bell nipped in to steal the ball and square for fellow substitute Armstrong to slot into the net. A triple substitution quickly followed for the visitors – perhaps with Sunday’s match in mind – as Shaughnessy, Zak Swanson and Terry Devlin made way for Matthews, Jordan Williams and Chaplin. That failed to stem the attacking tide, though, and Armstrong fired over from close range after the ball was cut back for him. Mehmeti then lifted a free-kick to Randell on the edge of the box on 67 minutes, but his fierce attempt was blocked. Pompey almost hit back at the other end when Swift’s free-kick was nodded on by Chaplin, but O’Leary did just about enough to prevent Kirk’s firm header from crossing the line. It had been a forgettable afternoon for the visitors, although there was a positive moment for academy striker Tayo Singerr, who replaced Kirk to make his Championship debut. But City continued to push forward in search of further rewards and a rocket from Randell struck the crossbar. Pompey were looking to avoid any additional punishment and might have grabbed a consolation, with Chaplin’s clean 30-yard strike saved by O’Leary. But there was still time for a couple more blows, with Matthews trooping down the tunnel after picking up an injury, leaving the visitors with 10 men for the final few minutes. And the Robins made the most of that numerical advantage when Armstrong rifled home his second goal of the afternoon. Despite the scoreline, it was the travelling fans making all the noise as the seconds ticked down and they will hope that 2026 brings more reason to cheer when Ipswich visit the south coast on Sunday. |
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Updated - 02/01/2026 |
