Scorers: Long (75')
H.T: 0-0
K.O: 3.00 12/01/2019
Attendance: 18,403 (247)
Referee: Kevin Johnson
Portsmouth manager: Kenny Jacket
Stadium: Fratton Park
Changes in the table: Portsmouth stay top and Blackpool begin to make up lost ground as they move up to ninth.
Teams:
Portsmouth XI: MacGillivray, Walkes, Whatmough, Clarke, Donohue, Naylor, Evans (Wheeler), Lowe, Green (Cannon), Curtis, Pitman
Subs not used: Bass, Haunstrup, Burgess, May, Dennis
Blackpool XI: Mafoumbi, Daniels, Heneghan, Anderton, Bola, Spearing, Guy (Pritchard), Thompson, Feeney (Nottingham), Delfouneso (Long), Gnanduillet
Subs not used: Boney, Bunney, Kirby, O'Sullivan
Match Events:
Portsmouth were happy enough to knock the ball around early on and simply maintain possession. Blackpool were pressing and giving them very little time on the ball and the Seasiders would slowly grow into the match. Through the opening exchanges chances were few and far between, with the best chance being that of a scuffed volley from Guy.
For all Pompey’s attractive football, it was Blackpool who looked better going forward, winning the first corner and with the returning Thompson probing.
Portsmouth are top of the League however, and there was always going to be moments which would make Blackpool excessively sweat. Although these were rare in the first half, in the 28th minute Curtis whipped in a freekick in search of the top corner, only for the ball to whistle by.
This was when Blackpool really did come alive. In the 31st minute Gnanduillet would be presented with his first chance of the game, when Daniels twisted and turned to work some space on the right and whip in a cross. Gnanduillet could only direct it on target however, it was straight at the keeper.
Daniels would open things up once more as this time he delivered to Delfouneso, but once more Blackpool were deprived of that final touch. Delfouneso would divert over and squander yet another guilt edged opportunity.
Despite Blackpool gaining confidence they were always vulnerable on the counter as Pitman very nearly found Curtis who was just yards from goal minutes before half time.
In the second half Portsmouth were always going to come out stronger. They won numerous corners and pressed Blackpool constantly, but their best chance was probably when Anderton almost sliced into his own net.
The more chances that Portsmouth wasted , the more frustrated they got, as they increasingly reverted to a more direct approach. It almost provided the desired result when the ball was headed down to Cannon, but his finish was far from composed and did not threaten the target.
Then came the moment. The moment when the whole game would change. Armand Gnanduillet would smartly nod the ball on to an unmarked Chris Long in the 75th minute. On his debut, the striker who ‘always scores against Portsmouth' would smash the ball beyond the keeper on the volley. Blackpool had the lead, but still had to endure the 15 minutes that were left on the clock.
Just 2 minutes later Pompey would threaten again only for Bola to bravely block, having got up despite an injury, getting in the way of Lowe’s shot. Pompey were throwing everything at the match and Blackpool were nothing if not fortunate. In the 85th minute Pitman should have scored when he got his head on the ball just yards out, only for the header to be straight at a relieved Mafoumbi, who in all honesty played well. His impressive performance was epitomized when he pushed away a Clarke volley from close range; nothing was going to get passed him.
1-0 was how it would remain and Blackpool had been the better side and are finally beginning to look more of a threat going forward.
Player Ratings:
Mafoumbi 9 - A fantastic performance from the stand in goalkeeper. He was not afraid to come for crosses and made some brilliant saves to earn Blackpool the victory.
Daniels 7 - It was back to right back for Daniels and he was solid. He delivered a couple of dangerous crosses in the first half.
Heneghan 7 - solid too, although was slow in possession a couple of times.
Anderton 8 - Back from his loan spell and instantly put into a new position. He was brilliant due to him being left footed, providing balance, and is an excellent (hopefully temporary) replacement for Tilt
Bola 8 - Performed well, as usual, and made a heroic goal saving block.
Spearing 7 - looked a little off sorts, playing a couple of blind passes, but still a hard worker.
Guy 7 - worked hard in midfield too, but never created much.
Pritchard 6 - did not have much time to make an impact, but did nothing wrong.
Thompson 8 - It was great to see this man return and it was evident how much they missed him.
Feeney 7 - made a couple of tricky runs, but drifted in and out of the match.
Nottingham 6 - another one who couldn't really do much in the time.
Delfouneso 6 - It was a shame he got injured, but did not look as if he would make anything happen.
Long 7 - took his goal well. That's it really!
Gnanduillet 8 - At last he has a partner who can finish! His header to Long was just as important for the goal as the finish. He is good when protecting a lead too, solidifying things at the back.
In addition -
Steven Davies - The striker did not travel and McPhillips has all but confirmed that he will be leaving for a new club. The striker's contract ended today.
Blackpool still have a long way to go - Despite Blackpool finally winning again and moving up to 9th, they still remain 9 points off the playoffs. That festive period has left Blackpool lagging behind on a huge scale and if Blackpool want to get back in the mix, it is going to take a lot more than simply the odd win.
Blackpool were the better side - Pompey may have edged Blackpool on possession, but they did not make it tell. Their crosses were hopeful and they had almost no openings. It was a tight match against the league leaders, and Blackpool were far from what is their preferred side.
Blackpool need to keep their best players - As players return, the Seasiders can only get stronger, but they can not let many big players go. Without them, Blackpool become toothless, as demonstrated throughout the festive period.
UTP