Eight goals in his first seven Portsmouth games for Jermain Defoe, two of them
yesterday against Wigan. Alas, the former Tottenham striker will not be
eligible to play at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final against West Bromwich
Albion next Saturday.
The first of his goals was a simple affair after a series of ricochets in the
32nd minute of the first half. The second came in stoppage time when Wigan,
having wasted a penalty, were pressing desperately for an equaliser, sending
on attackers rather than defenders, thus stretching their resources beyond
the limits and enabling Niko Kranjcar to send Defoe through all alone to
beat Chris Kirkland with ease.
Kirkland certainly deserved better than that. Both he and Portsmouth’s David
James had brightened a largely dull game with splendid displays of
goalkeeping. You might say that James, “Calamity” James though he may
perhaps have been in Paris last week, edged the implicit contest with his
splendid save from Ryan Taylor’s penalty.
Yet the game might have gone far more easily for Pompey had Kirkland as early
as the fourth minute not flung himself gallantly to turn for the corner a
tremendous shot by Portsmouth’s Iceland left-back, Hermann Hreidarsson, who
had slipped upfield to meet a pass from Milan Baros.
Wigan, without three of their first-choice midfield players, might surely have
deployed that clever French attacker, Antoine Sibierski, even from the
start, rather than as late as they eventually did. Indeed, it was Sibierski
who forced the last of James’s fine saves when the keeper turned his fierce
shot over the top.
Wigan might feel the game turned on their missed penalty. In the 61st minute,
Wigan’s fast, strong, persistent Ecuador international right-winger Antonio
Valencia came thrusting in from the flank. He was countered by Sylvain
Distin, and came down just inside the penalty box. Alan Wiley, the referee,
decided that deserved a penalty. Taylor took it right-footed, James hurled
himself to keep the ball out and, when it ran for Taylor, who had the whole
vulnerable goal to aim it, he, in his excitement, could do no better than
boot high over the top.
Defoe, in fact, could have put his team ahead on the quarter hour when he
himself sent a good chance over that same bar. Barely a minute later, how
close Wigan came to scoring. When Emile Heskey, mobile, unselfish and
intelligent throughout, found Valencia, the right-winger shot hard for goal.
It seemed that nothing could stop it, but Glen Johnson, himself an England
player last Wednesday in Paris, in productive desperation, booted the ball
against his own crossbar, after which it was somehow scrambled away.
On 34 minutes, Portsmouth at last went ahead. The preliminary work was done
with pace and persistence by Portsmouth’s Nigerian right-flanker, John
Utaka. His manager, Harry Redknapp, is said to accuse him of being too
casual, to which that Utaka himself responds that this is simply the way he
plays. There was nothing casual about the way he managed to hold onto the
ball through a couple of ricochets, before putting over the cross that
brought yet another ricochet and found Defoe standing alone at the far post
to score without difficulty.
Just after Defoe had scored his goal, Kranjcar shot from distance with his
formidable right foot, but the capable Kirkland dived to turn the ball
behind for a corner. So Portsmouth went in with a 1-0 lead, which seemed
certain to vanish until Taylor missed his penalty.
James had still another to save of quality to make from Heskey; nor should one
forget a double save made at the other end by Kirkland pushing one shot away
and keeping out the follow-up by Utaka.
Both managers eulogised about James after the game. “He was fabulous,” said
Wigan’s Steve Bruce generously. “The saves he made today were terrific.”
Portsmouth’s Harry Redknapp added: “James was a fantastic signing. They kept
throwing all these silly names at me. There was only one goalkeeper I wanted
here. He was different class. He’s the Ronaldo of goalkeepers. He’s got so
much talent.”
Bruce plainly doesn’t feel that Wigan are out of the wood yet. “We’re all
looking to get to the magic margin of 38 points, maybe 35 will be enough.
We’ve got four out of six at home and we need to win a couple of them and
we’ll be okay.”
But he spoke bitterly of the plethora of friendly internationals that took so
many of his players and had four of them “flying into Gatwick yesterday”.
Star man: David James (Portsmouth)
Scorer: Portsmouth: Defoe 32, 90
Player ratings: Portsmouth: James 8, Johnson 6, Campbell 6,
Distin 6, Hreidarsson 6 (Lauren 63min), Utaka 6 (Hughes 71min), Davis 6,
Pedro Mendes 7, Kranjcar 6, Baros 7 (Nugent 67min), Defoe 7 Wigan:
Kirkland 8, Melchiot 6 (Aghahowa 86min), Boyce 6, Hagen 6 (King 73min),
Kilbane 6, Valencia 7, Skoko 6, Scharner 6, Taylor 5 (Sibierski 67min),
Heskey 7, Bent 7
Yellow cards: Portsmouth: Defoe Wigan: Skoko, Scharner
Referee: A Wiley
Attendance: 18,623
