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  • Kick-off: 19:45
  • Venue: Fratton Park
  • Attendance: 20205
  • Referee: Webb, H

Live Commentary

92mins

It's all over at Fratton Park with Liverpool taking all three points.

90mins

The fourth official signifies two minutes of stoppage time.

89mins

Giannis Skopelitis strikes a shot from 25 yards which whistles past Jerzy Dudek's post.

87mins

Portsmouth continue to push for the equaliser but Liverpool remain resilient in defence.

83mins

John Arne Riise breaks into the penalty area and crosses but the ball is cleared as far as Xabi Alonso who drives his shot towards goal from 25 yards out only to see Jamie Ashdown make another fine save.

82mins

Matthew Taylor plays a lovely ball into the penalty area but Diomansy Kamara can't quite reach it.

79mins

Steven Gerrard breaks free down the left and puts a dangerous ball into the Portsmouth penalty area which is cleared by Linvoy Primus.

77mins

Milan Baros is replaced by Djibril Cisse for the visitors.

74mins

Patrik Berger drives a shot from 30 yards which is turned away for a corner by Jerzy Dudek.

70mins

Ricardo Fuller is brought on to replace Lomana Tresor LuaLua.

69mins

Sami Hyypia plays a lovely ball through to John Arne Riise whose shot is somehow cleared by the Portsmouth defence.

66mins

Steven Gerrard replaces Igor Biscan for Liverpool.

66mins

Patrik Berger beats 3 players and plays a ball into Diomansy Kamara who wastes an opportunity from a good position.

65mins

Patrik Berger replaces Steve Stone for Portsmouth.

57mins

John Arne Riise goes down the left and cuts inside to hit a shot, with his weaker right-foot, into the side netting.

54mins

Matthew Taylor hits a pinpoint cross to Steve Stone who somehow puts the ball wide of Jerzy Dudek's goal.

52mins

Igor Biscan plays a ball into Milan Baros but Dejan Stefanovic makes a crucial intervention to divert the ball out for a Liverpool corner which results in nothing for the visitors.

51mins

Lomana Tresor LuaLua and Gary O'Neil link up well but O'Neill's cross is headed away by Djimi Traore.

50mins

Vladimir Smicer plays a lovely ball into the area but Fernando Morientes can't quite get on the end of it and it rolls out harmlessly for a goal kick.

49mins

Jamie Carragher pushes the ball past Richard Hughes who takes Carragher's legs from under him and is booked by referee Webb.

48mins

Xabi Alonso plays a slide rule pass through to John Arne Riise who crashes his shot against the legs of Jamie Ashdown from seven yards out.

47mins

Arjan De Zeeuw comes off and is replaced by Linvoy Primus for Portsmouth.

47mins

Vladimir Smicer joins the action in place of Javier Sanz Luis Garcia for Liverpool.

47mins

The referee gets the second half underway as Liverpool kick off.

46mins

Liverpool go into the interval with a slim lead after an interesting first half.

45mins

Javier Sanz Luis Garcia heads past Jamie Ashdown from 10 yards out to give the visitors the lead.

39mins

Lomana Tresor LuaLua and Diomansy Kamara link up well in the Liverpool area but Jerzy Dudek makes a smart save from Kamara.

34mins

Diomansy Kamara forces the ball home after a Portsmouth corner started a goal-mouth scramble.

30mins

A fantastic move by Portsmouth results in Gary O'Neil's ball into Lomana Tresor LuaLua who tries to lift the ball over Jerzy Dudek but the Liverpool keeper claws it off the line.

25mins

Steve Finnan plays a fantastic ball into the area from the right but Fernando Morientes heads over the bar.

22mins

Arjan De Zeeuw and Fernando Morientes clash in the Portsmouth penalty area but Howard Webb waves away the protests.

19mins

Steve Finnan plays a loose ball which Gary O'Neil picks up and passes to Lomana Tresor LuaLua on the edge of the area but he looses possession.

17mins

Djimi Traore makes a good challenge on Lomana Tresor LuaLua to give Portsmouth a corner.

15mins

John Arne Riise hits a venomous left-footed volley which goes just wide of Jamie Ashdown's goal.

13mins

Diomansy Kamara beats his man and then plays a pass to Lomana Tresor LuaLua but he is offside.

11mins

Liverpool continue to knock the ball around and look very comfortable.

4mins

John Arne Riise drives down the left hand side and crosses for Fernando Morientes to finish at the second attempt after Jamie Ashdown saved his first effort.

2mins

Jamie Ashdown saves brilliantly from Milan Baros after an horrendous error by Arjan De Zeeuw.

1mins

Lomana Tresor LuaLua goes round Jerzy Dudek and slots the ball home but the goal is disallowed for a dubious offside decision.

0mins

Referee Howard Webb sounds his whistle and the game is underway.

Match Report

Liverpool left out inspirational captain Steven Gerrard but still had too much firepower for battling Portsmouth.

With big matches looming, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez rested Gerrard and didn't not send him into the fray until the 67th minute, as a replacement for Igor Biscan.

Liverpool picked up three useful points in their quest for automatic entry to next years Champions League, while for Portsmouth defeat means they still have some work to do to avoid being sucked again into relegation trouble.

The Reds should have been ahead after only three minutes, Milan Baros was denied by the legs of home goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown.

It was the first of many outstanding saves by the young Portsmouth keeper although he might have been at fault for Liverpool opener after four minutes.

John Arne Riise crossed from the right and although Ashdown blocked the first shot from Fernando Morientes, the keeper could not hold the effort and the grounded Morientes scuffed in the rebound.

Morientes missed an easy headed chance after 25 minutes before Portsmouth levelled eight minutes later.

Liverpool had every player in the penalty area, but they were unable to defend the corner on the right by Gary O'Neil and Diomansy Kamara forced the ball over the line.

Riise missed enough opportunities to have claimed a hat-trick but Liverpool were ahead in the last minute before the break.

The Norwegian was the creator again with a centre from the left which was headed home powerfully by Luis Garcia.

Ashdown was Portsmouth's saviour in the second half with two saves from Riise and two from man of the match Xabi Alonso.

Pompey's best chance fell to former Liverpool star Patrik Berger, whose powerful left-foot shot from 30 yards stretched Jerzy Dudek into his only meaningful action of the second half.

Portsmouth

Liverpool

Corners

54

Fouls

108

Goal attempts

819

Shots off target

27

Offsides

43

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