Portsmouth 4 Blues 2 .. Ron's Report

Last updated : 13 March 2008 By Richard Barker
Jermain Defoe struck twice for Portsmouth, before Blues pulled it back to 2-2 at half-time. An early second half goal from Hermann Hreidarsson put Pompey back in front, before Blues dominated the second half, only for Kanu to score an injury-time fourth for the home side.

Alex McLeish made one change to the side that so comprehensively thumped Spurs, and a surprising one at that. After claiming that he would be "stupid" to change his front two, he changed his front two. In fairness, apparently James McFadden's missus had given birth and he'd been in Scotland or something, so he dropped to the bench and Mauro Zarate was handed his first start for the club.

Before the game, the pubs and streets around Fratton Park were buzzing with talk of Wembley. Many Pompey fans were bemoaning their allocation for the semi-final against Albion, but seemed to be contenting themselves with the fact that, "we might get extra tickets if West Brom don't sell out". Some even suggested they should get a larger allocation than Albion. Well, apart from the fact that Albion are a much bigger club with more supporters than Portsmouth…? Still, it's amusing how arrogant these small clubs can get at a whiff of success.

There was a hope that such complacency and arrogance may have spread to the Pompey players, but there was no such luck. Credit to them, they were well up for it and were 2-0 up within a few minutes courtesy of a couple of Defoe strikes - he was no doubt letting out his frustration at being cup tied. The first was a slightly dubious looking penalty after, surprise surprise, a Liam Ridgewell error (more on that later), and the second was a tap-in after a bit of a scramble following Maik Taylor parrying a trademark Sulley Muntari strike.

Game over, you thought. But then, in keeping with the incredible start to the game, something miraculous happened. Fabrice Muamba scored. Poor Fabrice probably dreamt of his first professional goal (after 1,863 appearances) being an 89th minute winner in front of his own fans against Manchester United, or a last ditch theunderbolt strike from 35 yardss in front of the Kop at Anfield, or better still, at the Emirates Stadium. He had to settle for a strike from about two yards out, in front of a load of disinterested Portsmouth fans when his team were already 2-0 down and his own small following of supporters were at the other end of the pitch, struggling to see what was going on and hailing Olivier Kapo as the scorer. Muamba still enjoyed his moment though, sprinting back to celebrate with the bench, and in fairness, it got Blues back into the game.

After their shell-shocked start, Blues really picked up and were flying at Pompey. Zarate was excellent. People may say "he just plays with his head down", but he's so good at it. He was booked for diving in the area when going past two Pompey defenders at one point, but gave them all a torrid time, particularly Glen Johnson who he absolutely skinned just before half-time.

Blues' pressure paid off when Mikael Forssell was fouled six times in about three seconds, and the referee finally gave a free-kick in his favour. It was pretty central, and despite concerns that Gary McSheffrey might fancy it, Seb Larsson hit a stunning effort past David James. My view of the free-kick was perfect - right in line with it from behind - and the second it left Larsson's boot, you knew it was in. Larsson's becoming a tremendous player, and Blues need to stay up to keep hold of him (and Muamba, and Jerome, and most of the squad). If Kaka is worth £55m, then Larsson must be worth at least £6m.

Half-time came, and you sensed that Blues were in the ascendency and could go on and win this. Still, let us not forget that this is Blues we're talking about, and after doing all the hard work to get back into the game, some poor defending let in Hreidarsson to make it 3-2 shortly after the break.

Blues then went on to dominate the second half, and it was strange, as Blues had all the possession and territory, like a home team, and Pompey were looking to hit them on the counter-attack (which, in fairness, they're good at - look at their away record - so they were still always a threat). Muamba (who was excellent throughout) and Damien Johnson (who had an average first half, but was quite magnificent in the second half) absolutely bossed the midfield, and against the likes of Papa Boube Diop, Sulley Muntari, Pedro Mendes, Niko Kranjcar and Lassana Diarra, that's no mean feat.

David James made a great save from substitute Cameron Jerome following a stunning Blues move, as Blues pushed and pushed for another equaliser. In the end, Blues couldn't make their breakthrough, and in injury-time, as they'd thrown everyone forward, that Pompey counter-attacking paid off as Kanu nodded home from close range.

Now, dear readers, some of you will be shocked to know that sometimes I'm criticised for my opinions. Now, before you start penning those death threats to those who criticise me, bear with me…

Firstly, I've been criticised lately for pointing out the Liam Ridgewell keeps costing us goals. In all honesty, I'm not sure what else I can say, because he does. His clearance that led to the first goal (the penalty) was a joke, and seconds later, the referee was pointing to the spot. It's just a fact. It can't be denied. Three games in a row he's been directly at fault for a goal. You can't escape that. People say, "yeah, but he makes up for it with the rest of his performance", but I'm sorry, being responsible for a goal is a major thing, and winning a few tackles and going on a run doesn't make up for that. Regardless, it looks to be affecting his confidence, as last night, error aside, he was pretty poor anyway, and it was a good job Radhi Jaidi bizarrely looked like (not in appearance) Alessandro Nesta alongside him. Ridgewell made other errors last night, and you do have to question whether he should be taken out of the firing line. Rafael Schmitz isn't everyone's cup of tea, but maybe it's a chance to give him another go, because Ridgewell is a liability.

Secondly, I'm also apparently extra mean to Gary McSheffrey. Well, he's had a very poor season, and Spurs away aside, I can't remember him having a "good" game this season. People said he was better against Spurs at home, and he probably was, but he still wasn't anywhere near "good". Well, for the first 60 minutes last night, he was poor again, despite seeing a lot of the ball. I'd have taken him off, rather than Forssell or Zarate, but he stayed on, and credit it to him, he kept going and was involved in a lot of the play. I'd still not go so far as to say he had a "good" game, as he was wasteful with the ball quite often, but he stuck at his task and was involved in a lot of attacks. He still gave the ball away for Pompey's fourth though.

Thirdly and finally, after away games at the likes of Everton, Blackburn and Middlesbrough earlier this season, under Steve Bruce's leadership, I said that Blues just hadn't "had a go at them". I was criticised for saying that, and in fairness, it's a pretty vague and generic term, but anyone who witnessed Blues' performance last night will know what I was getting at. Last night, Blues well and truly "had a go" at Portsmouth, and it was refreshing and enjoyable to watch. It was one of Blues' best performances of the season offensively, and it's fantastic going to away games knowing that Blues will "have a go" and look to score goals, rather than hold on to a 0-0 for 85 minutes and bemoan the fact that "we didn't have that little bit of luck what you need" when the opposition hit a late winner.

It's not often that a defeat leaves you more positive than you were before, but I think last night is one of those rare examples. Pompey are a good side and it was a cracking game, but Blues were genuinely very impressive at times. There were defensive errors which need to be cut out, but had Blues played like that away from home against half the Premier League, they'd have won, and won handsomely. It was an excellent offensive performance, and the players richly deserved their standing ovation from the travelling fans at the end.

As I say, it sounds strange saying it after a defeat and shipping four goals, but if Blues play like that for the rest of the season, they'll stop up.