Source: SKY_Sports
Man Utd v Portsmouth live!
FT The referee blows his whistle for full-time and Man United have won 2-0. The Red Devils move three points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand. Portsmouth can be pleased with their performance tonight and they should be capable of avoiding the drop.[LNB]90 Rooney's curling cross from the right is sent over the top of the bar by Ronaldo's volley from eight yards. Man United have wasted plenty of chances during this match.[LNB]90 Rooney's low cross from the right falls to Rafael inside the Portsmouth six-yard box and the Man United sub sees his weak effort saved by James.[LNB]89 Ronaldo slides Carrick's through ball into the back of the net but the linesman rightly raises his flag for offside and the goal is ruled out.[LNB]88 Ronaldo works his way into a shooting position and sends a swerving effort over the top of the bar. Man United are looking comfortable as this match nears its conclusion.[LNB]87 Giggs' low cross from the left hits Campbell and Portsmouth are once again able to clear the loose ball.[LNB]86 Johnson wins a free-kick just inside the Man United half as he is bundled to the ground by Fletcher. The Portsmouth sub has looked lively in this half.[LNB]85 Portsmouth are keeping possession with ease in their own half as Man United keep plenty of players behind the ball.[LNB]84 The Man United fans are now in full voice as Ronaldo sends a low effort from 25 yards straight at James. The home side have made hard work of this match but it now looks like they are set to bag the three points.[LNB]82 GOAL CARRICK! Carrick takes control of Scholes' neat through ball and sends a calm finish across the body of James and into the bottom right hand corner of the Portsmouth goal. Man United lead 2-0 and it looks like they are set to move three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.[LNB]82 Ronaldo's cross from the left strikes the back of Pennant and Richard Hughes is able to clear the loose ball.[LNB]81 Rafael does well to halt Hreidarsson's storming run down the left flank and he brings the ball clear of danger.[LNB]80 Portsmouth are causing Man United's defence more problems. Johnson and Pennant have looked dangerous in this half as the away side search for an equaliser.[LNB]79 Rafael and Rooney fail to work a neat one-two as the Brazilian sends his pass out of for a Portsmouth goal-kick.[LNB]78 Giggs and Rafael work a short corner but the Man United winger's resulting cross is headed away from danger by Crouch. We could be set for a very interesting end to this match.[LNB]77 Man United make a change before the corner with Michael Carrick taking the place of Anderson.[LNB]76 Man United easily break forward at speed from Portsmouth's corner. Anderson's attempted through ball to Rooney is knocked behind for a flag-kick.[LNB]75 Johnson does really well to win a corner for Portsmouth as he plays the ball off the legs of Ronaldo. The away side are looking more dangerous when they break forward.[LNB]74 Ronaldo's low cross from the right takes a deflection and narrowly evades Man United's strikers as the Portsmouth defence are able to scramble the ball away from danger.[LNB]73 Ronaldo's cross from the left is easily claimed by James on the edge of his six-yard box. Poor play again from Man United in the final third.[LNB]72 It looks like Rooney is running through one-on-one with James but Johnson does superbly to track back and tackle the Man United striker. James takes control of the loose ball.[LNB]71 Pennant's free-kick from the left flank is headed towards goal by Crouch from eight yards. The effort lacks power and van der Sar is easily able to gather the ball at his near post.[LNB]70 Evra's cross from the left is easily claimed by James inside his six-yard box. Man United need to up improve the quality of their final ball.[LNB]69 Ronaldo makes space on the edge of the Portsmouth box but he sends a weak effort straight at James in the centre of his goal.[LNB]68 Pennant's cross from the right hand side of the Man United box is volleyed well wide of van der Sar's near post by Crouch. That was an awful effort from the Portsmouth striker. The away side could regret that missed chance.[LNB]67 Rafael's low cross from the right is easily fired away from danger by Campbell. Man United have wasted plenty of chances to put Portsmouth's defence under more pressure.[LNB]66 Rooney is caught offside as he looks to reach Giggs' lofted ball over the top of the Portsmouth defence. That is the wrong decision from the linesman.[LNB]65 Ronaldo looks to jink into the Portsmouth box but he is crowded out by the away side's defence as Man United continue to struggle with their end product.[LNB]64 Anderson's attempted through ball to Giggs is cut out by Johnson as Portsmouth's defence continues to hold firm.[LNB]63 Johnson jinks into the Man United box and sees his driven cross from the right turned away from the centre of his goal by van der Sar. Evans is able to clear the loose ball but that was great play from the Portsmouth defender to scare the home side's defence.[LNB]62 Rafael's cross from the right is headed clear by Johnson as Man United start to put more pressure on the Portsmouth defence.[LNB]61 Giggs' corner from the right is easily headed away from danger by Crouch on the edge of Portsmouth's six-yard box.[LNB]60 Fletcher's cross from the right is turned behind for a Man United corner by Distin.[LNB]59 There has been a slower tempo to Man United's play after the break. They are still looking the more dangerous side but Portsmouth's defence is fairly comfortable at the moment.[LNB]58 Belhadj's cross from the left is scrambled clear by Evans as Portsmouth start to look dangerous in wide areas.[LNB]57 Giggs fails to take control of Rooney flicked pass and James is able to race out of his goal and gather the ball at the second attempt.[LNB]56 Giggs wins a free-kick just inside the Portsmouth half as he is knocked to the ground by Campbell.[LNB]55 Hreidarsson storms forward but he stumbles on the edge of the Man United box and Evans is able to clear the danger. Portsmouth have looked more of a threat after the break.[LNB]54 Man United make their second change at right-back tonight with Rafael taking the place of O'Shea. The Republic of Ireland international was caught by a late challenge from Belhadj.[LNB]53 Belhadj wastes the free-kick as he sees his effort easily headed away from danger by Scholes in the centre of the penalty area.[LNB]52 Crouch does well to win a free-kick for Portsmouth on the right as he is bundled to the ground by Evra.[LNB]51 Ronaldo wastes two good chances to set up a chance for Man United as he sees his second cross from the right headed clear by Distin. The home side have wasted plenty of great attacking positions tonight.[LNB]50 Belhadj's cross from the left is cleared away from danger by Vidic as the Portsmouth winger continues to be his side's most dangerous attacking threat.[LNB]49 Rooney wastes a good position on the edge of the Portsmouth box as he sees his attempted pass to Giggs cut out by Davis.[LNB]48 It looks like Portsmouth will carry on playing with just Crouch up front. It will be interesting to see if that tactic changes as the half goes on.[LNB]47 Man United start on the front foot in the Portsmouth half but Scholes wastes possession as he sends a poor pass straight to Davis.[LNB]46 The second-half is under way and Portsmouth have made a change at the break with Jermaine Pennant taking the place of Nugent.[LNB] The players are back on the field as we near the start of the second-half. Paul Hunt thinks Man United will storm forward and win this match 5-0. Let me know if you agree by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Matt Elliott is backing Anderson to bag his first goal for Man United after the break. What do you think? Let me know by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Man United are now 1/20 to win this match with Sky Bet, Portsmouth are 66/1 and you back the draw at 9/1. Darren Fletcher looks decent value to be the next scorer at 20/1.[LNB] What are your thoughts on the first-half? Will Man United regret their missed chances? What can Portsmouth do to get back into this match? Let me know by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB]HT The referee blows his whistle for half-time. Man United lead 1-0 but they have wasted plenty of chances to double their lead as Portsmouth fail to cause van der Sar any problems.[LNB]45 We are in the first of two minutes of additional time.[LNB]45 Rooney slides the ball to Fletcher on the edge of the Portsmouth box and the Man United midfielder sends a side-footed effort wide of James' right hand post.[LNB]44 Man United keep the ball with ease in their own half as we get nearer to the break.[LNB]43 Ronaldo wastes possession on the edge of the Portsmouth box as he sends a weak pass away from Scholes and straight to Mullins. Man United are on top but they are wasting chances to go 2-0 up.[LNB]42 O'Shea's jinking run into the Portsmouth box is ended by Distin as Man United continue to put the away side's defence under pressure.[LNB]41 Rooney takes control of Giggs through ball and knocks a neat effort into the back of the net. However, the linesman raises his flag for offside and that is the correct decision. Man United are dominating this match.[LNB]40 Ronaldo's low cross from the right is dinked over the top of James but wide of the near post of the Portsmouth goal by Giggs from six yards. The Man United winger should have scored.[LNB]39 Anderson looks like he might have the chance to run through one-on-one with James but Campbell does well to knock the ball away from danger. Man United are getting close to creating chances to double their lead.[LNB]38 Sean Davis' lofted ball into the Man United box falls to Crouch but the Portsmouth striker is only able to send a weak cross straight at van der Sar.[LNB]37 Distin does well to end Ronaldo's storming run down the left and take the ball away from danger. The majority of this match continues to be played in the Portsmouth half.[LNB]36 Vidic heads Giggs' corner from the right towards goal but James is easily able to claim the effort on the edge of his six-yard box.[LNB]35 Ronaldo's weak effort from the edge of the Portsmouth box takes a slight deflection off Campbell and goes out of play for a corner.[LNB]34 Rooney makes space in the Portsmouth box and sends a low effort straight at James. The away side had plenty of chances to clear the danger but they kept handing possession back to Man United.[LNB]33 Crouch fails to work a one-two with Belhadj as he is crowded out by the Man United defence just inside their own half. Portsmouth are playing with only Crouch in attack so it is tough for them to attack at speed.[LNB]32 Rooney threads Giggs through one-on-one with James but the Man United winger wastes the chance as he fires his effort straight at the Portsmouth goalkeeper. Man United continue to be the dominant force in this match.[LNB]31 Giggs' corner from the right is headed towards the far post of James' goal by O'Shea. Belhadj is positioned on the post and he is able to knock the ball away from danger with a calm header.[LNB]30 O'Shea's cross from the right is deflected behind for a corner by Hreidarsson.[LNB]29 Rooney sees his driven effort from the edge of the Portsmouth box blocked by Campbell and the away side are able to clear the loose ball. Man United haven't shined too brightly so far but they still appear to have enough to win this match.[LNB]28 Rooney is caught offside as he looks to reach Paul Scholes' lofted ball over the top of the Portsmouth defence.[LNB]27 Belhadj plays the ball to Hreidarsson after a jinking run towards the Man United defence. The Portsmouth defender, however, sends his cross straight out of play for a goal-kick.[LNB]26 Nugent runs back onto the pitch after receiving treatment. He is limping slightly but should be fine to continue.[LNB]26 Vidic picks up the first booking of the match as he sends Nugent crashing to the ground with a high challenge. The Portsmouth forward is receiving treatment but should be fine to continue.[LNB]25 Distin does well to clear the danger as Anderson looks to reach Rooney's attempted through ball. Man United continue to look dangerous every time they attack.[LNB]24 Nugent makes space for a rare Portsmouth shot but he sends his effort from 30 yards well wide of van der Sar's left hand post.[LNB]23 Belhadj overhits his corner from the right and the ball evades everyone in the box to drift out of play for a throw-in on the opposite flank. Wasted chance for Portsmouth.[LNB]22 Jonny Evans ends Glen Johnson's run down the right flank but he is only able to knock the ball behind for a corner.[LNB]21 Nemanja Vidic overhits his attempted crossfield ball to Giggs on the left flank and the Man United winger is only able to send a header straight out of play for a goal-kick.[LNB]20 Ronaldo is caught offside as he looks to reach Rooney's flicked header from Anderson's cross. Correct decision from the linesman.[LNB]19 Giggs' cross from the right is headed towards goal by Ronaldo from 12 yards. The header lacks power and James is easily able to gather the ball at his far post.[LNB]18 Sol Campbell does well to head the ball away from danger as Giggs and Rooney look to work a one-two. The match is being played almost exclusively in the Portsmouth half.[LNB]17 Rooney fails to take control of Anderson's attempted through ball to allow Distin to clear the danger. Portsmouth's defence are very busy at the moment.[LNB]16 Patrice Evra sees his bustling run down the left flank ended by a strong challenge from Distin as Man United continue to look the better side.[LNB]15 Fletcher fails to find O'Shea with a lofted pass from the right flank as David Nugent is able to nip in and clear the danger. Man United are dominating this match.[LNB]14 Man United make their expected change with O'Shea taking the place of Neville.[LNB]13 Anderson storms forward and sends a low effort narrowly wide of James' left hand post. It was sloppy play from Hayden Mullins to hand possession to the Man United midfielder.[LNB]12 John O'Shea is preparing to come on as Man United wait for the ball to go out of play.[LNB]11 Neville is receiving treatment on the side of the pitch after Man United took the lead. It looks like the defender's match could be over.[LNB]9 GOAL ROONEY! Giggs' low cross from the left is turned home by Rooney's neat finish from just outside the six-yard box. Anderson played a great pass to set Giggs free on the wing. Man United lead 1-0.[LNB]9 Portsmouth are enjoying a sustained spell of possession in their own half. The away side look happy with the ball at the start of this match.[LNB]8 Anderson fails to work a neat one-two with Gary Neville and the Man United midfielder runs the ball straight out of play for a goal-kick. The home side are starting to play the better football.[LNB]7 Ronaldo's low cross from the right is fired out of play for a Man United throw-in by Hermann Hreidarsson.[LNB]6 Ryan Giggs' cross from the left is gathered at the second attempt by David James on the edge of his six-yard box. Wayne Rooney was nearly able to get to the loose ball.[LNB]5 Belhadj continues to be involved at the start of this match as he sends a powerful effort over the top of the bar from 30 yards.[LNB]4 Belhadj runs the ball out of play for a Man United goal-kick as he is put under pressure by Darren Fletcher on the left flank. Decent tempo at the start of this game.[LNB]3 Sylvain Distin does well to knock Cristiano Ronaldo's attempted through ball away from Wayne Rooney as Man United's strikers look to link up.[LNB]2 Nadir Belhadj's cross from the left is claimed by Edwin van der Sar on the edge of his six-yard box. Portsmouth have looked bright early on.[LNB]1 The action is under way and Man United are keeping the ball early on.[LNB] The players are making their way out of the tunnel with Paul Scholes running out to make his 600th appearance for Man United.[LNB] Mike at work in New Zealand thinks Portsmouth can bag a winner after 88 minutes. Do any Pompey fans share his optimism. Let me know by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB] Marc Egan has e-mailed in from Barbados and he is hoping for plenty of goals from Man United tonight. Let me know your predictions by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com. Does anyone think Portsmouth can grab a shock win?[LNB] Man United are 1/4 to win tonight's match with Sky Bet, Portsmouth are 12/1 and you can back the draw at 9/2.[LNB] Here is some more information about tonight's teams: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson makes nine changes to his FA Cup semi-final starting line-up but there is no Rio Ferdinand in the Red Devils side to face Portsmouth at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo return up front, with Dimitar Berbatov joining Carlos Tevez on the bench as Paul Scholes is handed his 600th United appearance. With Ferdinand missing, presumably through injury, Jonny Evans partners Nemanja Vidic in central defence, attempting to subdue lone Pompey striker Peter Crouch as Ferguson's men look to go three points clear of Liverpool at the Premier League summit.[LNB] Here are the teams for tonight's match: Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney Subs: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Carrick, Nani, Rafael Da Silva, O'Shea, Tevez[LNB] Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Davis, Mullins, Hughes, Belhadj, Nugent, Crouch Subs: Begovic, Pennant, Pamarot, Utaka, Cranie, Kanu, Basinas Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)[LNB] Welcome to our live coverage of Manchester United's clash against Portsmouth in the Premier League. You can let me know your views ahead of the game by sending an e-mail to nick.hext@bskyb.com.[LNB]
