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  • Utaka (60), Bardsley (68 og), Traore (88)
  • Jones (59)
  • Date:2009-05-18
  • Kick-off:20:00
  • Venue:Fratton Park
  • Attendance:20398
  • Referee:Wiley, A

Live Commentary

90mins

It's all over and Sunderland could still go down on Sunday after this defeat. Goals from Utaka, Traore and Bardsley's own goal give Portsmouth the win.

90mins

Crouch goes off and crowd favourite Linvoy Primus is on for the closing minutes

90mins

That goal has killed off Sunderland and four minutes of injury time will be played

88mins

3-1 to Portsmouth. Traore fires a low shot into the bottom corner from the left to wrap up the win for Paul Hart's side with two minutes to go

85mins

Davenport lashes a shot goalwards but it's deflected over for a corner. The delivery finds Cisse but he can't control his shot and it flies wide

84mins

Leadbitter goes off too, Daryl Murphy comes on

80mins

Djibril Cisse is on for the final 10 minutes - Teemu Tainio goes off

79mins

Collins' cross is this time met by a fierce volley from Jones but Begovic is behind it

78mins

Bardsley tries to make up for his own goal with one at the right end but his well-struck effort flashes just wide

77mins

Collins' cross from the left is easily gathered by Begovic

73mins

Richardson fires a shot over as Sunderland now go in search of an equaliser

70mins

It was a dreadful error by Ferdinand to let Utaka in and suddenly Sunderland are staring at a defeat that will mean they wil go to the final day still with a chance of going down

68mins

An unbelievable turnaround at Fratton Park as Phil Bardsley's own goal puts Pompey in front. Ferdinand completely misjudges a long ball to let Utaka in, he takes it round Fulop before Bardsley slides it into his own net

67mins

A Richardson free-kick deflects off the wall and safely into the arms of Begovic

63mins

Controversy surrounds the Pompey equaliser as referee Alan Wiley seemed to have blown his whistle for a free-kick but the goal stands and it's level again

61mins

Sunderland have the lead for barely two minutes. Utaka equalises after holding off the challenge of Bardsley and slotting home

59mins

Sunderland have the lead against the run of play in the second half. Davenport's inch-perfect cross from the right is turned home by Jones

57mins

Traore's attempted cross takes a deflection and ends up just a few yards over the bar for a Pompey corner. It comes to nothing but Johnson quickly wins another as they keep the pressure on

56mins

The home side have had the better of the early exchanges of the first half

54mins

Malbranque limps out of the action after picking up a knock and Carlos Edwards is on in his place

52mins

A second corner in quick succession is headed back across goal by Crouch before the Black Cats clear

51mins

Johnson hits a free-kick badly off target but it takes a deflection and Pompey win a corner

48mins

Davis does well down the left and wins Pompey a corner but nothing comes of it

47mins

Traore is immediately involved and he sends over a cross from the left that Crouch heads over the bar

45mins

The second 45 gets underway

45mins

Younes Kaboul is also on in place of Kanu

45mins

Pompey make two changes at the break - Armand Traore comes on for Hughes

45mins

It's goalless at the break but Crouch and Jones have both headed against the post in a game that has slowly come to life.

45mins

Calum Davenport and Sylvain Distin clash heads in the Pompey box and need treatment but it looks like they will both be fine

44mins

Sunderland have just edged it so far and probably would have deserved the lead if that Jones header had gone in

42mins

Jones goes very close to breaking the deadlock but his header comes off the inside of the post and rolls just a few yards clear of the goal-line. The visitors' best moment of the game

40mins

Richard Hughes is fouled to give Portsmouth the chance to build another attack

35mins

It's been a largely scrappy affair so far with only a handful of goalscoring opportunities to report

33mins

Richardson plays a nice one-two with Kenwyne Jones before lifting his shot over the bar. Some decent action after a recent lull in the game

30mins

The goalmouth action has pretty much dried up now as these two sides cancel eachother out at the moment

27mins

Leadbitter tries his luck from outside the box but its comfortably five yards wide of Begovic's goal

26mins

Johnson's shot is blocked by Danny Collins

26mins

The game has gone a bit scrappy in the last few minutes with both sides trading possession

23mins

Bardsley sends over a couple of crosses from the right but they fail to trouble the home side's defence

21mins

Ferdinand has suffered a cut to his head in that incident and needs treatment off the field

19mins

Crouch goes down in the box when jumping for the ball under pressure from Anton Ferdinand but it was never a penalty

18mins

Glen Johnson tries to feed the ball up to Kanu but it's just overhit and sails behind for a Sunderland goal-kick

17mins

Leadbitter wastes a free-kick from the right but it's Sunderland who look the more likely scorers at the minute

14mins

Sunderland force Begovic into two saves in a few seconds as first Leadbitter's shot is blocked before Malbranque wastes a great chance from close range

11mins

Malbranque wins a corner but Grant Leadbitter's delivery is easily cleared by the Pompey defence

9mins

Steed Malbranque volleys wide from a decent position as Sunderland again attack well early on

7mins

Sunderland win a free-kick on the left about 30 yards out but Kieran Richardson's effort sails over the bar

4mins

Peter Crouch almost puts Pompey in front but his header comes back off the inside of the post before Sunderland clear it off the line

3mins

Sunderland have started well and are keeping the ball early on

1mins

Phil Bardsley fires over a cross from the right but Asmir Begovic gets a good first touch and gathers it

0mins

Sunderland get the game underway at Fratton Park

0mins

Sunderland need a win to guarantee their Premier League status for another season, Pompey are safe following the weekend's results.

0mins

Asmir Begovic comes in for his first Portsmouth start replacing the injured David James while John Utaka and Kanu replace Younes Kaboul and Nadir Belhadj. Sunderland are unchanged.

Match Preview

Portsmouth and Sunderland meet at Fratton Park with both sides still needing at least one more win to secure their Premier League futures.

Pompey look all but safe on 38 points, but the Black Cats have two fewer and if results go the wrong way, Ricky Sbragia's side could be in the bottom three before Monday night's action.

Paul Hart's home side have taken just one point from their last four games and Pompey have also failed to find the net in those four outings.

However, Hart remains confident that his side will achieve safety, telling the club's official website: "I've been saying all along that we still need the points.

"I don't want to be looking at the opposition and seeing what they're doing. It's in our hands and that's what I want.

"We need a goal, though. We've done everything but score in the last few games, so we need a goal."

Pompey currently have a number of players sidelined by injury, with Niko Kranjcar the most notable absentee with an ankle problem.

Sunderland's plight is even more desperate than their hosts, with their last three games having yielded only a single point - from a goalless draw at Bolton Wanderers last time out.

Midfielder Teemu Tainio is confident that he will be fit to feature after sustaining a knock against the Trotters, while Sbragia is likely to stick with Kenwyne Jones as a lone striker.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon's season is over due to a knee injury, while defender Nyron Nosworthy is still sidelined by a hamstring problem.

Sbragia said after the action last weekend: "There's a long way to go yet we know that. But I believe that we will still be in the Premier League at the end of the season."


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Match Report

Sunderland remain in danger of relegation from the Premier League after squandering a one-nil lead before being well beaten at Fratton Park.

Kenwyne Jones looked to have set the Black Cats on course to secure top flight status by netting his 11th goal of the season 14 minutes after half time.

John Utaka levelled only 90 seconds later and Phil Bardsley's own goal and a late Armand Traore strike left Sunderland facing an anxious final day clash at home to FA Cup finalists Chelsea.

Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch headed against a post early on before Jones was also denied by the woodwork in an evenly matched first half.

Portsmouth began the second 45 strongly but it was Sunderland who took the lead against the run of play with the first of three goals in an explosive nine minute spell.

Defender Calum Davenport came marauding down the right before picking out Jones with a sublime cross and the Trinidadian rolled the ball beyond stand in Blues goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and into the bottom right corner.

The visitors' lead lasted less than two minutes before Utaka drew Portsmouth level with his first goal in 13 months.

Crouch flicked on Begovic's long ball and Grant Leadbitter could only head his attempted clearance into the path of Utaka, who held off the challenge of Danny Collins to slide home from a tight angle.

Portsmouth were gifted the lead eight minutes later after some calamitous Sunderland defending.

Anton Ferdinand inexplicably allowed another 80-yard punt from Begovic to roll under his boot, sending Utaka clear. Nigerian Utaka rounded stranded Black Cats goalkeeper Marton Fulop before the unlucky Bardsley turned the ball into his own net as he slid back in a desperate attempt to clear the danger.

Substitute Traore compounded a miserable night for Sunderland and their 1300 travelling fans with a coolly taken third two minutes from time. Ricky Sbragia's side will now do battle with North East rivals Newcastle and Middlesbrough and Hull in a four way fight to stay up.

Portsmouth

Sunderland

Corners

56

Fouls

116

Goal attempts

921

Shots off target

411

Offsides

01

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