Portsmouth earned a sixth away win on the trot, with a thoroughly effective display of counter-attacking football to pull three points clear of rivals Aston Villa in today’s early kick-off at a rain-lashed Villa Park.
The tiny travelling support from the south coast were well rewarded for their dedication, as Sulley Muntari struck twice with a pair of thunderbolts either side of the interval to follow-up a bizarre early Craig Gardner own goal. Villa could only reply through a 72nd minute Gareth Barry penalty, but were distinctly unable to make a full recovery from their miserable first half showing.
The opening chance of the game fell to Ashley Young - who enjoyed a lively opening half hour - on eight minutes, but the tricky winger shot weakly wide past David James’ right post. Within a minute Portsmouth found themselves in front, thanks largely to a share of good fortune and Villa’s defensive incompetence. From a corner kick, Noe Pamarot’s shot from the edge of the penalty area was heading well wide until Wilfred Bouma inexplicably gifted the ball to Pompey forward Benjani, and in his desperation to recover the situation, Gardner turned the ball past his stranded ‘keeper.
A series of corners and free-kicks in and around the Portsmouth area ensued, as Villa pushed for an immediate response. Two such Ashley Young dead-ball kicks in quick succession each found Martin Laursen unmarked, but the Danish centre-half followed a weak header - which James dealt with comfortably - with a glaring headed miss from an even more advantageous position, just six yards out. Shortly after, newly-anointed Barclays Premier League player-of-the-month Gabriel Agbonlahor wriggled clear of the Pompey backline and fired a shot at James’ near post which the veteran stopper saved smartly with his feet.
Martin O’Neill’s men were shortly to pay for their failure to capitalise on having the lion’s share of possession, as Portsmouth went further ahead through winger Muntari. The Ghanaian star cut inside, having been unforgivably invited onto his favoured left foot by the hapless Laursen, and unleashed a stunning curled shot into the top-right corner of Scott Carson's net from outside the area.
Agbonlahor had a further chance to pull a goal back on the stroke of half-time, but his powerful drive from a John Carew flick-on was expertly repelled by James. Referee Mike Riley was then roundly booed down the tunnel by the home fans following the half-time whistle for some apparently dubious decision-making, but in truth Villa’s profligacy and occasional clueless defending were the chief culprits in their deficit.
Having emerged from the dressing rooms first, Villa set out to claw back the south coast side’s scarcely merited two-goal lead. However, Harry Redknapp had obviously drilled his troops to keep hold of the ball in order to frustrate their hosts, and the Portsmouth midfield began to exert their dominance over an out-of-sorts Gareth Barry and the returning Nigel Reo-Coker; playmaker Niko Kranjcar and the combative Pedro Mendes playing key roles in keeping Pompey in command.
Their third goal made victory more or less a formality, coming in the 63rd minute as a direct result of a careless kick-out from Carson which Reo-Coker couldn’t draw under his control. Muntari pounced; dispossessing the young midfielder and poking the ball between Zat Knight’s legs before going on to swerve another powerful left-footed shot, from all of 30 yards out, around the Villa ‘keeper and low into the net.
Having thrown on Patrik Berger and Marlon Harewood for Bouma and Gardner respectively, switching Barry to the left side of defence, O’Neill went for broke in what was an all-but-lost cause. When, in the 72nd minute, Young was unnecessarily hauled down by the otherwise impressive Sylvain Distin, and Barry expertly dispatched the resultant penalty past ex-Villa colleague James, belief in an unlikely comeback burned brightly among the home support.
In truth though, by the final whistle Portsmouth could themselves have added a further two or three goals; on two separate occasions Reo-Coker did brilliantly to prevent a fourth, Papa Bouba Diop missed from close range when it would surely have been easier to score, while a rampant Benjani was running the woefully exposed Laursen ragged down Villa’s left flank.
In stoppage time, Agbonlahor struck the bar with a header after good work from Harewood and a hat-trick effort from Pompey hero Muntari was tipped over by Carson, but Portsmouth’s first top-flight win at Villa Park for 52 years had long since been acknowledged by the disgruntled home fans streaming through the exits. On this showing though, Portsmouth will be confident that they should not have another half-century wait before their next win in this part of Birmingham, as they continue to go from strength to strength.
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