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  • Kick-off: 12:45
  • Venue: Villa Park
  • Attendance: 35790
  • Referee: Riley, M

Live Commentary

90 mins

Mike Riley blows the final whistle and Pompey take the three points away from Villa Park.

90 mins

Scott Carson makes a brilliant save from Boupa Diop's strike to deny Pompey a fourth goal of the game.

90 mins

Pompey are holding onto the ball and in total control of the game as it nears it's end.

90 mins

Gabriel Agbonlahor rose above Distin and headed Young's cross straight against the cross bar from three yards out. It's just not Villa's day.

88 mins

Olof Mellberg drove forward and drilled the ball inches past the post as Villa still push for a goal.

85 mins

Papa Boupa Diop missed a glorious chance for Pompey in a position where it was impossible to miss, but the midfielder side footed the ball against the side netting.

84 mins

Villa then won a free kick on the opposite side of the pitch when Young was brought down, but Noe Pamarot headed the ball to safety.

83 mins

Aston Villa won a corner after Pompey sloppily gave the ball away in their own half, but Sol Campbell rose heighest and cleared the ball.

81 mins

Pompey had a brilliant chance to seal the game as Krancjar broke on the counter attack, Sylvain Distin broke his neck to get up and support him but Krancjar's ball was terrible and Aston Villa won the ball back.

80 mins

Niko Krancjar is booked for a needless foul on Ashley Young.

79 mins

Aston Villa have to take some risks now if they are to get anything more out of the game, but they have to take their chances, this time it was Gareth Barry with a poor free kick from the right that was easily cleared by Portsmouth.

76 mins

Ashley Young wastes the opportunity of a free kick in a wonderful position by crashing his effort straight against the Pompey wall.

75 mins

The tempo and the temperature have both risen at Villa Park and the home crowd don't believe the game is over just yet.

73 mins

Gareth Barry gets away without a booking after barging over Boupa Diop to get the ball back after scoring the penalty.

72 mins

ASTON VILLA 1 - 3 PORTSMOUTH (BARRY) Gareth Barry converts the penalty for Villa

71 mins

Sylvain Distin brings Ashley Young down in the box needlessly and gives away a penalty

70 mins

Craig Gardner is replaced by Marlon Harewood

68 mins

Portsmouth are playing some lovely football now the game is as good as over, with Sulley Muntari doing some showboating in the middle of the park.

67 mins

Patrick Berger is booked for a late tackle on Glen Johnson, which Glen Johnson was furious about.

65 mins

Kanu comes on to replace John Utaka

63 mins

Muntari has been a revelation for Pompey this season and today's performance has shown why Harry Redknapp paid the amount of money he did for the midfielder.

61 mins

ASTON VILLA 0 - 3 PORTSMOUTH (MUNTARI) Sulley Muntari scores his second and Pompey's third with a beautiful thirty yard strike with the outside of his left foot.

58 mins

David James was electric at coming out of his area to close down Gabriel Agbonlahor who was through on goal after some good closing down from Craig Gardner.

56 mins

John Carew used his height to jump for a header from a Villa corner with but Pedro Mendes was on the post for Pompey and he watched it go out for a goal kick.

55 mins

Niko Krancjar shows a touch of class as he controlled the ball brilliantly and cut inside from the left, and pulled a right footed shot inches wide of the post.

54 mins

Patrick Berger comes on to replace Wilfred Bouma.

53 mins

Krancjar played a clever ball over the top for Muntari to cross into the penalty area where Benjani was waiting, but Laursen headed to safety.

51 mins

David James this time was Portsmouth's culprate for giving the ball away, with a punt up-field that went straight through to Scott Carson in the opposite goal.

49 mins

The first chance of the half fell to Pompey when John Utaka crossed the ball in from the right for Muntari who was making a late burst from midfield, but the Ghanaian's header went over Carson's crossbar

47 mins

Sylvain Distin showed how good of a defender he is by first outpacing John Carew and then holding him off to win a throw in for Pompey.

46 mins

Aston Villa get the game back underway in horrible conditions at Villa Park.

45 mins

Mike Riley blows the whistle for half time at Villa Park.

45 mins

David James showing what a fine goalkeeper he is for Portsmouth with a fantastic save from a powerful shot from Agbonlahor, which looked destined for the back of the net.

44 mins

Aston Villa don't deserve to go in to the break two goals down and Martin O'Neill will certainly feel hard done by.

43 mins

Papa Boupa Diop is booked for deliberately pulling Barry's shirt as he advanced with the ball

40 mins

ASTON VILLA 0 - 2 PORTSMOUTH (MUNTARI) Sulley Muntari puts Pompey two goals up with a fierce left footed strike into the top corner, going totally against the run of play.

38 mins

Aston Villa's claims for handball against Noe Pamarot were waved away by Mike Riley after John Carew's fierce shot was blocked by the defender.

35 mins

Portsmouth played some good football with some intricate passes between Benjani and Muntari, but Villa did well to close them down and won back possession to stop any cross from Pompey.

33 mins

No surprise that it was Agbonlahor who broke clear for Villa down the left after a ball over the top from Gareth Barry, he did well to keep the ball in but his disguised cross fell into the hands of David James.

31 mins

Glen Johnson did well to advance down the right playing a one-two with Benjani and crossing for Krancjar who failed to make a clean connection with the ball and Villa cleared comfortably.

28 mins

Agbonlahor's pace is troubling Pompey's backline and he continues to get in behind them, all he needs is half a chance and he'll make them pay.

26 mins

Gabriel Agbonlahor fired the ball at goal from the tightest of angle's, with a slight deflection coming off Sol Campbell David James had to save the shot with his feet to deny the striker.

24 mins

Portsmouth's marking in the penalty area has been atrocious and Villa will make them pay if it carries on this way

22 mins

Harry Redknapp will not be happy with his teams retention of the ball, they can not keep possession and continue to give it away

20 mins

Martin Laursen missed another fantastic chance for Villa, this time it was harder to miss than score but the ball hit the Danish defender on the shoulder and thankfully for Pompey his effort went wide.

18 mins

Martin Laursen found himself in a golden position from Young's corner, he was unmarked in the six yard box but he didn't seem to connect fully with the ball and David James watched his header roll past his post.

16 mins

Gareth Barry is going mad, along with the crowd, after Mike Riley yet again awards a dubious free kick to Pompey in a dangerous position. Lucky enough for Villa, Muntari's effort was feable.

14 mins

The Aston Villa faithful are not happy with some of the decisions Mike Riley has made so far in the game, nothing seems to be going the home side's way in the opening fifteen minutes.

11 mins

Aston Villa have come straight back at Pompey after going behind, winning two corners in succession and putting some pressure on their backline.

9 mins

ASTON VILLA 0 - 1 PORTSMOUTH (O.G. GARDNER) Pompey take the lead after Craig Gardner inadvertently turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Benjani in his own goal area.

8 mins

Pompey won a free kick out on the right which was whipped in by Sulley Muntari, but despite the troops coming up from the back Villa cleared the cross with ease

6 mins

Craig Gardner tried to play Gabriel Agbonlahor in on goal but his miss-placed pass found Ashley Young free at the back post, but the young winger put his effort wide of the goal. First chance to Villa.

4 mins

John Carew recieves an early booking from Mike Riley for a deliberately late tackle on Sol Campbell after the defender had out-muscled him.

3 mins

The wind is blowing visciously accross the field and the surface is wet and slippery, so the conditions are far from perfect for both teams.

1 mins

Both teams make a sloppy start to the game with Pompey's Sol Campbell hitting a pass too long for Niko Krancjar to recieve.

1 mins

Portsmouth get us underway here at Villa Park.

0 mins

The referee today is Mike Riley (Yorkshire)

0 mins

Portsmouth are still without long term absentees Lauren (Hamstring), Martin Cranie (Broken Leg) and Linvoy Primus (Knee), Sean Davis also misses out again after suffering a hamstring injury, so Pedro Mendes continues in midfield.

0 mins

Martin O'Neill is able to recall Nigel Reo-Coker to his midfield after he missed the defeat to Arsenal last week, but O'Neill is without Stilian Petrov who has been ruled out for two weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in that game.

0 mins

Portsmouth Line-up: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Pamarot, Utaka, Diop, Pedro Mendes, Muntari, Kranjcar, Mwaruwari

0 mins

Aston Villa Line-up: Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Gardner, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Carew, Agbonlahor

Match Report

Aston Villa host Portsmouth on Saturday in a match between two sides looking to clinch a place in Europe next season.

Both teams will be keen to get back to winning ways after struggling last weekend. Villa pushed Arsenal all the way before eventually losing 2-1 to the Premier League leaders while Pompey were held to a goalless draw by Everton.

Harry Redknapp's side are above Villa thanks to a marginally better defensive record and, with three draws in the past four games between these sides, a close match is expected.

Redknapp has no injury or suspension worries going into the game but is already planning for next month when he will be without several players who will be on African Cup of Nations duty.

Sulley Muntari of Ghana, Senegal's Papa Bouba Diop and Nigerians Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka are all likely to be involved in the tournament, so Redknapp is planning to bring several new players to Fratton Park.

"We do need to try to find maybe another three or four players from somewhere if we can because we need to fill the squad up," he said.

Meanwhile, Villa boss Martin O'Neill will be able to call on the services of Nigel Reo-Coker again this weekend as the former West Ham United midfielder served his one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards this term, against the Gunners.

However, Villa will be without Stiliyan Petrov after the Bulgaria midfielder picked up a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old playmaker was replaced after just 30 minutes of the Arsenal defeat and scans have confirmed a hamstring problem.

The former Celtic player is expected to miss the Portsmouth game and the trip to Sunderland seven days later.

Craig Gardner, who scored against the Gunners, is likely to step into the void created by Petrov's absence.

Last season the Villa Park clash between the two sides ended goalless while they shared four goals at Fratton Park.

Aston Villa

Portsmouth

Corners

8 5

Fouls

18 23

Goal attempts

15 12

Shots off target

7 4

Offsides

3 1

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