Portsmouth 3-2 Sheffield United: Blues Deny Blades of Brilliant Comeback
Sheffield United suffered a 3-2 defeat against Portsmouth at Fratton Park with the Blades having to play the majority of the game with ten men.
Zak Swanson scored the opener, and it was the pick of the bunch, when he let fly from out wide just outside the box and watched the ball laser into the top right corner. The away side then saw Hamza Choudhury given his marching orders for a second yellow card before Adrian Segecic tapped home from close range early in the second half.
Lineups
Portsmouth: Schmid, Poole, Pack, Segecic, Kamara (Anderson 70, Bailey 87), Meghoma, Swanson (Devlin 70), Kavuma-McQueen, Milovanović (Bishop 62), Mohamed (Adams 70), Dia.
Unused: Killip, Bielica, Shein, Kenny.
Blades: Cooper, McCallum, Tanganga, Rothwell (Arblaster 59), Choudhury, Cannon (Campbell 79), Kitching, Chong (Donovan 79), Brereton Diaz (McGuinness 45), Peck, Bamford (Phillips 45).
Unused: Davies, Ayew, Burrows, Riedewald.
First Half
Portsmouth began the contest with plenty of energy, winning three corners during the opening stages as the hosts looked to put United under immediate pressure.
The Blades gradually settled into the game and started creating opportunities of their own. Kitching played Choudhury into space on the right, with the midfielder’s delivery picking out the forward run of Cannon. However, the Portsmouth goalkeeper stood firm as Cannon attempted to take the ball around him.
At the other end, Tanganga demonstrated his defensive awareness by getting across to block an effort from Milovanović following a dangerous Portsmouth counterattack.
United had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 22nd minute. Sydie Peck delivered a dangerous ball into the penalty area, but Patrick Bamford could not make the most of the opportunity, sending his close-range effort over the crossbar.
Portsmouth threatened again when Sam McCallum’s loose pass presented Segečić with an opportunity. The forward attempted to bend the ball towards goal from outside the box but failed to find the target.
Despite United looking increasingly competitive, the hosts produced a moment of individual brilliance to break the deadlock four minutes before half-time.
Peck’s attempted clearance failed to travel far enough, allowing Swanson to collect possession on the left. The Portsmouth defender shifted the ball onto his right foot before unleashing a superb strike that flew into the top corner, leaving United with a significant challenge ahead.
Matters got worse for Wilder’s side moments later when Choudhury received a second yellow card following a coming together with Kavuma-McQueen as the Portsmouth attacker advanced into the visitors’ half.
Second Half
Despite their numerical advantage, Portsmouth initially struggled to capitalise on the situation. Kavuma-McQueen, however, continued to cause problems for the Blades’ defence and should have doubled the hosts’ advantage shortly after the restart.
Sent through by Dia, the forward found himself in a promising position, but Michael Cooper stood tall to make an important save and keep United within touching distance.
Portsmouth eventually extended their lead in the 54th minute. Kavuma-McQueen got the better of Chong before delivering a dangerous ball towards the near post, where Segecic made contact from close range and diverted the ball into the roof of the net.
At 2-0 down and a man short, the situation appeared bleak for Sheffield United. However, the visitors refused to surrender and began to find a way back into the contest.
Their persistence paid off as the hour mark approached. Following a partially cleared corner, Chong recovered possession and sent the ball back into the danger area. Tanganga reacted brilliantly, sweeping the ball home to reduce the deficit and give the travelling supporters renewed hope.
Incredibly, United were level just seven minutes later. Phillips delivered a corner into the penalty area, and Cannon got across his marker to glance a header beyond the goalkeeper and into the net.
The hosts threw men forward in search of a winner, determined to make their numerical advantage count before the final whistle.
Anderson came close to restoring Portsmouth’s lead with a powerful effort from around 25 yards, but Cooper produced another important save to keep the scores level.
United continued to battle, showing considerable resilience after spending much of the second half defending with ten men. Having recovered from two goals behind, the Blades appeared on course to secure a valuable point from a challenging away fixture.
However, their resistance was finally broken in the 89th minute. Segecic delivered a cross into the penalty area, and Adams attempted to connect with a volley. Although he failed to strike the ball cleanly, his effort bounced awkwardly off the turf and looped beyond Cooper before dropping into the top corner.
