Thank goodness for Nathan Delfouneso. Had the 19-year-old Aston Villa substitute not popped up with his first goal in the Premier League, to keep his club’s slim hopes of gate-crashing the top four alive, it is a safe bet that Martin O’Neill would have descended into apoplexy.
Villa have not had much luck with penalties since the turn of the year and the manager has found himself at his wits’ end with frustration. He still cannot believe how his team did not get a decision against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final and here he was left bemused as the referee Lee Probert ignored two stonewall appeals, by Gabriel Agbonlahor in the first half and the captain Stilian Petrov in the second.
There was also irony in that when Villa did get a penalty, just before the interval, John Carew had his kick saved by David James. The Norwegian went for power but James, in front of the watching England manager Fabio Capello, got a firm hand on the ball to palm it away.
O’Neill, though, could reflect on two decisions that helped to spirit the points to Villa Park. He sent on the strikers Emile Heskey and Delfouneso late in the second half and he watched the two combine for the winning goal. James Milner’s cross was glanced on by Heskey and Delfouneso, with his first touch, snapped up the chance from close range.
Portsmouth continue to bask in the Wembley feelgood factor from their FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur and the spirit of their players has been irrepressible. Their form, since the nine-point deduction for entering administration, has been as good as any of the clubs towards the foot of the table while the collective will to contribute was illustrated by Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The midfielder had been given leave to return to Germany after the semi-final with Tottenham only for the Icelandic volcano eruption and the grounding of flights to leave him stranded. Portsmouth could add natural disasters to the list of obstacles they have faced. Boateng, however, wended his way back by car and ferry.
He was involved in the opening goal, moments after he had been denied by Brad Friedel at close quarters, with Kanu being foiled by James Collins’s saving challenge on the rebound. Anthony Vanden Borre got the better of Stephen Warnock to pull an astute ball back from the by-line and, with Boateng’s step-over helping to freeze Friedel, Michael Brown arrived to curl in his first goal since Boxing Day 2004.
Villa roused themselves. Carew ought to have scored from point-blank range, rather than side-foot straight at James, following Agbonlahor’s cross yet he finished emphatically moments later when he was afforded the freedom of Fratton Park to power on to Warnock’s long ball. He was played onside by Lenny Sowah, the full Portsmouth debutant, who holds the curious distinction of being the first player born after the formation of the Premier League to play in it.
Villa ought to have led by the interval. Ashley Young’s cross was touched onto his own post by Marc Wilson while Carew saw his penalty, awarded for a foolish trip on him by Papa Bouba Diop, beaten away by James. Villa should have had a penalty earlier but Probert was the only person inside the ground who did not think that Vanden Borre had leaned into Agbonlahor and then dragged him down. Probert gave a free-kick the other way against Agbonlahor.
Although Portsmouth played pleasingly in patches, there was the feeling that the game was there for Villa to take and that they would kick themselves all the way back to the Midlands if they failed to do so.
Agbonlahor headed an excellent chance on 55 minutes too close to James while Young implored Probert to award another penalty after he felt he was caught by Vanden Borre. If that was difficult to call, then there was little doubt in the 79th minute that James made contact with Petrov, after the midfielder had gone around him in the area. O’Neill raged on the touchline but Delfouneso ensured that he would remember the game for happier reasons.
Premier LeaguePortsmouthAston VillaDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk
