Joy for Eriksson as Man City defeat ten-man Pompey
Sunday, 20 Apr 2008 19:51
City are six points off a Uefa Cup place
Manchester City beat ten-man
Portsmouth 3-1 at Eastlands to ease the pressure on boss Sven Goran Eriksson.
Goals from Darius Vassell, Martin Petrov and Benjani give Eriksson a reprieve following owner Thaksin Shinawatra's comments that he is unhappy with the team's declining form.
Jon Utaka scored in the first-half for Pompey, who had Hermann Hreidarsson sent off for a professional foul on 41 minutes.
Eriksson brought in Vasell for Sun Jihai with Elano bizarrely playing at right-back, while Lauren, Utaka and Lassana Diarra started for the visitors.
Pompey made the brighter start with Papa Boupa Dioup's long-range effort parried by Joe Hart while an unmarked Sylvain Distin put a header wide from a corner.
But it was City who broke the deadlock after a horrendous error from David James. The England goalkeeper needlessly raced off his line and failed to clear, resulting in Stephen Ireland crossing for Vassell to slide the ball in on 11 minutes.
Two minutes later, the home side doubled their lead when Petrov's toe-poke towards goal took a huge deflection off Sol Campbell and wrong-footed James.
Pompey continued to waste chances at the other end with an unmarked Dioup firing a header over from three yards out on 16 minutes.
Harry Redknapp's side eventually put the ball into the net to reduce their deficit when Utaka clipped the ball under Hart on 24 minutes, despite City's appeals for off-side.
Vassell then came close to grabbing his second but was denied by an onrushing James as he was about to pull the trigger, with the keeper saving a ferocious effort from Benjani minutes later.
Pompey's task to salvage something from the game was made harder on 41 minutes, when Hreidarsson was sent off by referee Andre Marriner for pulling back Vassell when he was through on goal.
Striker Vassell continued to be in the thick of the action and his 20-yard curling effort was tipped over by James on the stroke of half-time.
The second half was a thrilling affair with Pompey again guilty of failing to take their chances.
First, Sulley Muntari's drive from the edge of the box was tipped onto the post by Hart with Utaka side-footing the rebound against the other post.
Eriksson's side then seized the upper hand with Vassell slicing his shot wide from 15 yards while Benjani fired a shot inches wide after holding off two defenders.
City killed off the game with 16 minutes remaining when the tireless Benjani collected Ireland's pass, turned past Dystin and rifled a shot into the corner against his former club.
Hart continued to show his England credentials with stunning saves late-on to deny substitutes Milan Baros and Sean Davis, as City held on to move into eighth place while FA Cup finalists Pompey slip to seventh.