Southampton 2-2 PortsmouthA late, late strike from David Norris salvaged an important point for Portsmouth as Southampton returned to the top of the Championship in a thrilling Solent derby.
In what was a hugely entertaining match at St Mary's, Southampton took the lead when Billy Sharp scrambled the ball home just before the half hour mark.
The home side were by no means in control as Portsmouth frustrated the Saints and had their own opportunities.
The visitors did find an equaliser before the break. Chris Maguire stunned St Mary's as he drilled a perfect shot form the edge of the area into the top corner to tie up the scores.
Southampton piled on the pressure, and had several chances to go back in front before the break. However, a string of great stops from Portsmouth goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown kept the scores level after 45 minutes.
Portsmouth should have gone ahead within the first minutes of the second period. Maguire couldn't control his shot and blazed wide from close range.
The second half couldn't quite live up to the intensity of the first 45 minutes. The impressive Adam Lallana creates some great opportunities, but Ashdown was on top form.
Fonte found Lallana in the area and a great turn put him through on goal. Lallana tried to turn past the oncoming Portsmouth goalkeeper, but lost control of the ball.
With time running out, Southampton piled the pressure on the uneasy Portsmouth defence. A great ball in was headed on and Sharp was on hand to side foot the ball home for his second goal of the game.
Initially referee Neil Swarbrick had ruled out the goal for offside, but after consulting with his assistant - the ball has adjudged to have come off a Portsmouth player and Sharp's goal stood.
It looked like Sharp had won the game for Southampton, all but condemning Pompey to the drop. However, deep into four minutes of injury time, Norris unleashed a perfect volley past Kelvin Davis to secure a dramatic point for the visitors.
The points were shared in the Solent derby for the second time this season. The St Mary's clash lived up to all the hype that the teams' first meeting at Fratton Park failed to do. Southampton were the better team, but a Saints win would have been harsh on Portsmouth, who still have a lifeline in escaping relegation to League One.
Southampton return to the top of the Championship table on goal difference against Reading, who Saints face next Friday. Before the crunch game, Southampton face Crystal Palace on Monday as they look for their first win in three attempts.
No comments:
Post a Comment