Player Ratings v Portsmouth (a)
Last updated : 16 August 2004 By Richard Barker
Maik Taylor - Handled well, apart from moment of madness with namesake.
Melchiot - Appears to be more comfortable going forward than defending, but
ok.
Lazaridis - May need time to adjust to the role, but like Melchiot, a real
threat offensively.
Martin Taylor - Shaky start, but seemed to improve slightly as the game went
on.
Upson - Not at his commanding best, but steady enough. Perhaps misses
Cunningham alongside him.
Gronkjaer - Didn't get the service he needs, but looked dangerous on
occasions, with some good crosses.
Johnson - Tireless as always, and credit must be given for him keeping his
place. Decent performance.
Izzet - Not at his best, with some poor distribution, but was looking to get
forward, and will improve.
Savage - Looked back to his petulant, scrappy, effective best - a welcome
sign. Good goal too.
Heskey - Excellent debut, and terrorised the Pompey backline with pace, power and strength. Looks to be a tremendous acquisition.
Forssell - Certainly nowhere near on top of his game, but not a real worry,
as he'll be back to his best soon.
SUBS:
Gray - Worked hard and looked fairly effective - decent debut.
Morrison - Cameo role, but almost won it.
| Portsmouth | 1 | Birmingham City | 1 | Unsworth 16 (pen)
| | Savage 10
| |
|
| | Competition | Barclays Premiership
Saturday 14th August 2004 |
| Match Statistics | | 15 | Goal Attempts | 16 | | 9 | On target | 11 | | 6 | Off target | 5 | | 0 | Woodwork | 0 | | 8 | Corners | 4 | | 13 | Fouls | 16 | | 5 | Offside | 1 |
| Cards shown | | Savage (18) | unsporting behaviour | | Hughes (18) | unsporting behaviour | | Taylor (25) | unsporting behaviour | | Unsworth (50) | unsporting behaviour | | Izzet (70) | unsporting behaviour | | Lazaridis (80) | unsporting behaviour |
| Referee | Webb, H
S Yorkshire | | Attendance | | 20021 |
| |
