HAVING risen so gallantly from the remains a week ago to win opposite Hull, before crashing 5-0 in midweek to Chelsea, a exceedingly burned out Portsmouth at least done a decent diversion of it opposite Tottenham.
However, they lost their Icelandic defender Hermann Hreidarsson, who had been battling courageously as an puncture centre-back, with what seemed to be a snapped Achilles tendon. Spurs centre-half Michael Dawson, forced off early in the second half, was luckier: he harm his Achilles but did not snap it.
Pompeys manager, Avram Grant, put as certain a face on hard times as he generally does. Both sides, he said, had a integrate of chances, but Tottenham accepted theirs.
This was rather to oversimplify matters. Overall, the home side tranquil the game, nonetheless Portsmouth came close 3 times to scoring point-blank goals, usually to be thwarted by Spurs volatile keeper, Heurelho Gomes.
Related LinksFuller piles vigour on beaten ZolaBerbatov stand in puts United behind on topCapello"s scouting outing is in vainA frail multiple in between the Belgian right-flanker Antony Vanden Borre and French assailant Fredric Piquionne was crowned by a lapse pass to Vanden Borre, whose shot was shut off by Gomes. That was on seventeen minutes. On 42, Brown had his shot saved by Gomes. Approaching the hour, Piquionne, some-more advanced from left side to centre, done a possibility for the enthusiastic Kanu, but the keeper shut off that.
Missing on-loan Spurs player Jamie OHara and their absolute and versatile Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj, Portsmouth hold out until the 27th minute. Then Gareth Bale, an generous overlapping left- behind yesterday, crossed from the left, and Peter Crouch headed past David James. Subsequently, Tottenham twice strike the woodwork, once with a prolonged shot by the autocratic Tom Huddlestone and afterwards by Crouch, who followed up to fire from close range but true at James.
The second idea came on 41 minutes. Huddlestone and the passionate David Bentley set up full-back Kyle Walker, creation a splendid debut. His cranky was mishit by the in all glorious author Luka Modric but Niko Kranjcar back-heeled the round in to the net.
Ten mins later, Hreidarsson went down with nobody nearby him. He was carried off on a bracket with an oxygen facade on his face. As, late in the second half, was Pompey surrogate Danny Webber. James additionally went off in the last minutes. Reshuffling the pack, Portsmouth withdrew Vanden Borre to his some-more familiar on all sides of right-back. The Greek general midfielder Angelos Basinas was used in a really low ancillary position.
Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, felt the diversion used in the second half, but James eight mins prior to his depart saved a header from Sebastien Bassong after a Bentley corner. In the eight mins of blocking time, Crouch longed for abysmally when the round came to him all on his own in front of goal.
Redknapp believes that dual of his key enemy could be ready for the FA Cup semi- last opposite the same opponents. Jermain Defoe will be fit, I know, while I wouldnt write Aaron Lennon off.
If this game, as he said, was a bit similar to a use compare in the second half, maybe this was as well for a Portsmouth group fast a run of continuous misfortune.
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes 7, Bale 7, Bassong 6, Dawson 6 (Kaboul 62min), Walker 7, Bentley 7, Huddlestone 7, Modric 7, Kranjcar 6 (Assou-Ekotto 66min), Crouch 6, Gudjohnsen 6 (Pavlyuchenko 79min)
Portsmouth: James 7 (Ashdown 89min), Hreidarsson 6 (Webber 51min, 6), Finnan 6, Vanden Borre 7, Mokoena 6, Mullins 6, Brown 7, Hughes 6, Basinas 6 (Owusu-Abeyie 84min), Piquionne 7, Kanu 6
THE FIGHT FOR FOURTH PLACE
TOTTENHAM 58pts Apr 3 Sunderland (a) Apr fourteen Arsenal (h) Apr seventeen Chelsea (h) Apr twenty-four Man Utd (a) May 1 Bolton (h) May 5 Man City (a) May 9 Burnley (a)
Form guide: LWWWWW Odds to finish fourth: 6-5
MAN CITY 53pts Tomorrow Wigan (h) Apr 3 Burnley (a) Apr eleven Birmingham (h) Apr seventeen Man Utd (h) Apr twenty-four Arsenal (a) May 1 Aston Villa (h) May 5 Tottenham (h) May 9 West Ham (a)
Form guide: DDWDWL Odds to finish fourth: 2-1
LIVERPOOL 51pts Today Sunderland (h) Apr 4 Birmingham (a) Apr eleven Fulham (h) Apr nineteen West Ham (h) Apr twenty-four Burnley (a) May 1 Chelsea (h) May 9 Hull (a)
Form guide: LDWLWL Odds to finish fourth: 3-1
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