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Match Report
Portsmouth v newcastle 14 December 2008
Magpies add to Pompey woe
Magpies record first win at Fratton Park for 17 years
Newcastle United scored three second-half goals to defeat Portsmouth 3-0 at Fratton Park.
Pompey began both halves the brighter but were made to pay for their missed chances by a Newcastle side who secured their first Premier League away win of the season.
Michael Owen collected Jonas Gutierrez's pass on the left hand side of the area and, despite a heavy first touch, he delicately lifted the ball over David James in the Pompey goal to give the visitors a 52 minute lead.
Obafemi Martins added a second on 77 minutes as he got on the end of Jose Enrique's through ball to slot past James.
Danny Guthrie rounded off the scoring a minute from time with a curling strike into the top corner after a Shola Ameobi pull-back, although James will have been disappointed not to have done better.
Portsmouth have now conceded 13 goals in their last six games in all competitions and showed a glimpse of their fallibility in the 10th minute when Owen missed from close range.
The striker met Gutierrez's low cross from the right wing but his first-time effort was scuffed just wide of the post.
That chance seemed to spark the game into life and a minute later Jermain Defoe fired over from outside the box, before testing goalkeeper Shay Given with a fierce left-footed strike after being sent clear by Arnold Mvuemba.
Unlucky
Martins created a chance out of nothing in the 18th minute, unleashing a vicious, swerving drive from 30 yards which beat an outstretched James but crashed back off the post.
The chances continued to flow and in the 26th minute Defoe met Nadir Belhadj's deep cross from the left but side-footed over from close range under pressure from Sebastien Bassong.
Only a superb reaction save from Given prevented the hosts from taking the lead on the half-hour mark.
Noe Pamarot scampered into the box on the right and pulled back to Niko Kranjcar, whose mistimed shot deflected off two defenders and looked to be creeping inside the post until Given tipped clear.
Defoe was unlucky not to win a penalty when he appeared to be brought down by Bassong.
Newcastle responded with a rasping drive from Jose Enrique on the left which James did well to tip over.
Defoe squandered another chance shortly before half-time, dragging his shot wide after Crouch played him in on the edge of the box.
Capitalised
Early in the second half Defoe capitalised on a misplaced clearance from Newcastle's defence to race into the box but his shot with the outside of his foot was weak and easily gathered by Given.
The litany of missed chances eventually proved costly as Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute.
Mvuemba attempted a risky crossfield pass to Belhadj but it was intercepted by Gutierrez, who showed excellent vision to play in Owen on the left.
He accelerated clear and chipped over the onrushing James, crashing into the goalkeeper as the ball bounced over the line.
Defoe's frustrating afternoon continued as he was off target again in the 57th minute. Sean Davis raced clear down the right and crossed to the former Tottenham man, who turned sharply in the box but fired a foot wide of the near post.
Beye brilliantly headed away from the lurking Crouch in the box as Pompey pressed for an equaliser, and Martins could have given Newcastle some breathing space but blasted over from just inside the box.
The striker made no mistake from close range 14 minutes from time, however, tapping home Jose Enrique's pass after Portsmouth had lost possession in a dangerous area from a throw-in.
Defoe raced clear late on but he was dispossessed by Bassong and a booking for kicking the ball away in frustration summed up his afternoon.
Guthrie completed the rout in the 89th minute when his first-time shot from Shola Ameobi's right-wing cross was too strong for James.
| Portsmouth | Team Statistics | Newcastle United | | 0 | Goals | 3 | | 0 | 1st Half Goals | 0 | | 3 | Shots on Target | 5 | | 13 | Shots off Target | 6 | | 4 | Blocked Shots | 0 | | 8 | Corners | 5 | | 15 | Fouls | 5 | | 3 | Offsides | 5 | | 4 | Yellow Cards | 1 | | 0 | Red Cards | 0 | | 78.8 | Passing Success | 76.6 | | 26 | Tackles | 21 | | 92.3 | Tackles Success | 90.5 | | 54.1 | Possession | 45.9 | | 53.7 | Territorial Advantage | 46.3 | |
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