Source: Liverpool_Echo
Portsmouth FC 0 Everton FC 0: Dominic King's verdict
IT was the weekend when the predictable Premier League reminded us of its unpredictability but, happily for Evertonians, most things remain the same.
We were told heading into this latest round of fixtures that the top four would trample all over their opponents, score a glut of goals and maintain their stranglehold on the Champions League positions; in many ways, that was true.
To everyone’s great relief, however, Wigan Athletic torpedoed Chelsea’s unblemished start to the campaign at The DW Stadium and, in the process, proved it is folly to assume that football is losing its ability to shock.
From Everton’s perspective, though, there was nothing shocking about events at Fratton Park; having become masters at grinding out wins on their travels against teams they should beat, David Moyes and his players duly celebrated another successful away day.
True, this was not a vintage Everton performance, crammed with slick passing and incisive movement; you might even be right to suggest that they will play better between now and next May and still end up losing.
But while Portsmouth will feel exceptionally hard done to that their miserable start has now turned into the worst suffered by any club in the top flight for 79 years, it would do Everton a gross disservice to brand them lucky.
There is nothing fortunate, you see, about being able to keep calm and focused while under intense pressure or having the ability to defend stoutly in the frantic final moments when your goal is under siege.
So having had to take a back seat for six days while the attacking side of the team received the plaudits for embarking on a scoring spree, it is time for Everton’s defenders and goalkeeper to step forward and take a bow.
Without clear heads and brave hearts, we would, in all probability, have been left to analyse a defeat today, as Portsmouth showed no signs of being a side that was struggling for confidence or form.
Given noisy, constant backing from the rickety stands in this ramshackle, compact arena, Portsmouth did everything they could to blow Everton’s house down during 45 action-packed second-half minutes.
