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Match Report
Everton v Portsmouth 13 March 2004
ROONEY LEAVES POMPEY IN MIRE
Everton 1-0 Portsmouth
Wayne Rooney eased Everton's relegation fears by claiming the only goal in his side's 1-0 home win over a Portsmouth side who now find themselves rooted in the bottom three.
The England international, who had endured a previously frustrating afternoon, settled matters with a well-taken strike 12 minutes from to notch his second goal of the season against Pompey.
A goal seemed destined to elude the hosts, who had enjoyed the lion's share of possession and chances, but Rooney eventually converted and perhaps could and should have finished with more than his solitary strike.
Everton started well and almost hit the front after just five minutes, Rooney and Ferguson teed up Kevin Kilbane whose fierce 20-yard shot was tipped over at full stretch by Hislop.
Rooney then spurned his first opportunity of the afternoon on the quarter hour mark after miscuing a volley from twelve yards from Steve Watson's low right-wing cross.
Pompey responded though; Yakubu Aiyegbeni outmuscled Alan Stubbs to get on the end of an Arjan De Zeeuw through ball and, after being denied by Nigel Martyn at point blank range, laid into the path of Eyal Berkovic whose effort was deflected wide with the goal gaping.
Tomasz Radzinski, on as a first-half substitute for Duncan Ferguson, should have broken the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, but skied his attempted volley well over the bar from the penalty spot after a Tony Hibbert cross somehow found its way through to him.
The Canadian had the first chance of note of the second period, but could only drag a volley wide from six yards after Kilbane's cross had caused panic in the visitors' defence.
Steve Watson then got on the end of Alan Stubbs long driven cross but the defender's header lacked power and was comfortably gathered by Hislop at his near post.
The breakthrough arrived when Radzinski dispossessed Linvoy Primus on the edge of the box, the former Anderlecht star fed Rooney who cleverly side-stepped the challenge of John Curtis before drilling low past Hislop from 18 yards.
The teenager almost doubled the lead in identical fashion, however, after again getting the better of Curtis on the edge of the box, he fired the wrong side of the post.
In a bid for an equaliser, Harry Redknapp threw on Teddy Sheringham but the visitors' best effort of the closing stages came from the left foot of Matthew Taylor, his fierce long range drive was cleanly gathered by Martyn though.
Rooney almost put a gloss on the scoreline with a second in the dying moments but, after cutting inside Curtis to create a shooting opportunity, the hit-man's left foot shot was well smothered by Hislop, but it proved inconsequential as The Toffees held on comfortably for an important victory.
Report From  , For full report and stats, click here.
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