Pompey sneaked through for a home tie with Sunderland with 2 goals in the last seconds. Our equaliser came in the 90th minute of normal time, and the winner came in time added on in extra-time! Beat that Fergie!
Pompey were without Kaboul on the night, an infected toe was cited as why, but his abscence is bound to get the fans worried with Lens apparently sniffing around, James never even made the bench when he was supposed to be fit, Finnan was the other absentee of note.
Let’s get things straight from the off though, first half and Pompey were as bad and disjointed a bunch of players that could possibly be, our passing was schoolboy and commitment lacking, Papa Diop could not pass wind, he was that bad, Brown was misfiring as well although he was to improve later, the only player of any note was Vanden Borre who looked up for it.
Coventry were bossing possesion without threatening Begovic, that is until Leon Best decided to open his top drawer and pull out a goal of real quality, surrounded by Pompey shirts, he managed to first swivel and then belt a beauty past Begovic, it really was a top goal.
You’d expect Pompey to come straight back at Coventry, but it just wasn’t happening, in fact it was Morrison who nearly scored again, this time he volleyed first time a long punt from Westwood that must have travelled 60 yards, Begovic gathered though.
As the half-time whistle went, Coleman must have felt quite smug.
Second half and Pompey raised their game a little, we were still way off the pace though, it took an injury to Boateng to up Pompey’s ante, on came the much maligned Utaka, and to be fair he was lively from the off.
Smith almost squirted Pompey back in it, but his slightlty mishit cross from the left was turned over by Westwood.
Basinas came on with 77 minutes passed, my mate texted me to say his first 3 passes found a Pompey shirt, MOM in his book!
Pompey were pressing hard now, Coventry were pinned back and clinging on, Utaka netted but was deemed offside and Coventry looked to have held out, but one last heave and Wright inexplicably buried a lovely header past Westwood with no Pompey player near him, and we had extra-time.
Coventry lost Best almost as soon as the extra period started and with it their target man, Basinas was showing how to pass a ball now, he may be a peripharal figure, but quality remains.
Piquionne nodded home off the post but was ruled offside for the umpteenth time and Utaka and Webber both failed to get decent shots away when well placed.
With 6 minutes of extra-time left, Basinas played in Utaka over the top, his touch was good, but he decided to round Westwood rather than dink him and both the ‘keeper and Wright got back to block, Pompey’s big chance seemed to have gone.
120 minutes had passed and it was just up to the ref to blow for penalties, Pompey had a last ditch corner and Coventry commited suicide once more, Mokoena arrived and headed home completely unmarked to put Pompey through, in a 2 hour game we were awful for over an hour, for the last 3/4’s we took over and that was enough.
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