Source: Telegraph
Peter Crouch gives Portsmouth priceless points
Peter Crouch pounced with two towering headers to take his season's goal tally to 16 and give Portsmouth a priceless victory in their fight against relegation against Everton at a buzzing Fratton Park. [LNB]Portsmouth had fallen behind to Leighton Baines's early free-kick but battled back with a belief and fervour that bodes well for what could yet be a tense run in. It was Everton's first defeat in nine matches and the FA Cup semi-finalists could have few complaints after being outplayed in the second half. [LNB] Related ArticlesPremier League action[LNB]Latest standings and statistics[LNB]Portsmouth's Peter Crouch turns up volume at Fortress Fratton[LNB]Premier League Round-up: Wayne Rooney sees red as Fulham stun Manchester United[LNB]Marouane Fellaini eye for goal has Stoke tied up in knots[LNB]Manchester United back on title form after Darren Fletcher sees off Portsmouth[LNB]Sol Campbell, the Portsmouth captain, said before the match that his side needed five wins from their remaining 10 games to survive. With West Bromwich and Bolton next up at their Fratton fortress, the mood on the south coast is suddenly as bright as the spring-like weather. "We are staying up," was the defiant chorus from the Portsmouth followers at the final whistle. [LNB]Crouch said: "We showed a lot of character. The heads could have gone down and earlier in the season we could have gone under there but we showed our resilience." [LNB]The England forward's all-round display brought the man-of-the-match accolade and praise from manager Paul Hart. "He plays at the sharp end of the tam and does a great job. I thought we were excellent today," he said. [LNB]Indeed they were, at least once they had overcome a stunning early setback. The game was only three minutes old when Sylvain Distin clipped Louis Saha's heels five yards outside the home penalty area. Baines curled the ball sweetly, beating the motionless David James and clipping the far post on its way in. [LNB]Everton, with Phil Jagielka switched into central defence to cover for the absence of the injured Joseph Yobo, were scarcely troubled until Portsmouth levelled midway through the first half. Sean Davis's corner was cleared only to Niko Kranjcar. The Croatian flighted the ball back in for Glenn Johnson to nod back across goal where Crouch leapt determinedly to bury his header. [LNB]Portsmouth were refreshed and in an increasingly open affair, Campbell caught the mood with a lung-busting gallop from inside his own half to only be denied by a sliding Baines as he prepared to shoot. [LNB]There were openings, too, for Everton, without midfield mainstay Tim Cahill, who is troubled by a calf injury sustained in last week's victory over Stoke. The ball spun away from Distin but Jo miscued from 15 yards, then, as half-time approached, Saha's acrobatic effort trickled wide. [LNB]Portsmouth, always the more adventurous after the interval, drew their rightful reward 15 minutes from the end. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had to push Younes Kaboul's low, angled effort away for a corner. Sensing their moment, Hart sent on Kanu and while Everton were adjusting to his threat, it was Crouch who rose to power home Davis's corner. [LNB]
