Portsmouth 2 QPR 1: Neil Allen's verdict - Amid injury chaos, irreplaceable star remains intact. Please keep him safe

Of Pompey’s five irreplaceables, the last three matches have seen Callum Lang ruled out for the season, while Conor Shaughnessy’s expected two-month hamstring absence will, in truth, be merely a few fleeting outings during the finale.

Then there’s Rob Atkinson, ominously forced off after 39 minutes against QPR following an issue with his right calf, yet raising the unpalatable likelihood that a spell on the sidelines awaits.

At least medical marvel Colby Bishop continues to drive on, seemingly impervious, with Saturday representing a remarkable 19th successive Blues league start since recovering from career-saving heart surgery.

Then there’s the mercurial Murphy.

Pompey have lost too many good men in the relegation cause over the season’s duration to date, particularly pivotal first-team presences such as Lang, Shaughnessy and, potentially, now Atkinson.

Like Bishop, Murphy must be preserved at all costs. The winger is invaluable, an outlier in John Mousinho’s squad. The brutal truth is there’s not a single team-mate remotely capable of replicating his distinctive talents.

That is not a slight on the abilities of other available attacking options at present, yet the 29-year-old is a winger in its purist form and a tantalising throw-back from halcyon footballing days.

The former Norwich man is beautifully uncomplicated and devastatingly effective, all pace, directness and delivery, hogging the touchline, getting chalk on his boots. A time traveller stranded in the future.

Ironically, he diverted from his trademark pathway ploughing down the outside of the left flank to cut inside and net a spectacular Pompey opener against QPR, subsequently earning praise from Mousinho for varying his attacking approach.

Regardless, Murphy’s attributes are unparalleled in the Blues’ set-up. Losing him is unthinkable, particularly in terms of maintaining encouraging progress away from the gravitation pull of the relegation black hole.

Now buoyed by a nine-point advantage, perhaps Pompey can still accomplish their survival mission irrespective of the savage blows of Lang, Shaughnessy and Atkinson - but not Bishop and definitely not Murphy.

He must be safeguarded, withdrawn late in games for his own protection, maybe, just maybe, even rotated out on appropriate occasions during the last 12 games. This cherished talent needs to be kept available.

Bizarrely, in a career dogged by unfulfilled potential and injury problems, the one-time £11m man has now played 49 league and play-off matches over the last 12 months, representing both Oxford United and the Blues.

That consists of a staggering 46 starts, while producing 14 goals and 11 assists, compared to 13 league starts in the previous 18 months, all during his Kassam Stadium stay.

Make no mistake, Murphy is presently conjuring up his best - and most consistent - performances for years. Indeed, Saturday was at his most influential yet in a rapidly expanding list of eye-catching Blues performances, according to the head coach.

Following a steady start to his Fratton Park career, impacted by an ankle injury sustained in the first half of the final pre-season friendly at Charlton, momentum has gathered as the campaign has progressed.

The man whose 30th birthday chimes on Monday, will clearly be mentioned in the same breath as Lang when the time arrives to discuss supporters’ Player of the Season accolades.

In the meantime, there are many more matches to win and Championship survival to secure - and the 2-1 triumph over QPR represented another huge stride towards safety.

Inevitably these days, Murphy was at the forefront, with a goal and an assist during a blistering five-minute spell after the break to plot the Blues’ course for a fifth victory in nine league fixtures.

Following a tight first half, with both teams sizing each other up but rarely producing a goal threat, the occasion exploded into life minutes after the interval.

Andre Dozzell produced a clever first-time pass out to the left flank for Murphy, with the winger cutting inside and, with Jimmy Dunne slipping, had suddenly crowbarred open enough space.

He let fly with a right-footed effort which curled beautifully into the far corner of the net to break the deadline in classy fashion.

Then, on 51 minutes, Murphy intercepted Dunne’s pass out intended for a team-mate on the wing, this time racing to the byline and delivering a low cross towards the far post.

There was Matt Ritchie to slide high into the roof of the net with his right foot from two-yards out to double the Blues’ advantage, while claiming his fourth of the season.

Out of nowhere, the visitors pulled a goal back on 75 minutes when Ilias Chair swept a diagonal press from the left into the penalty area, which saw Dunne beat Connor Ogilvie far too easily in the air.

The defender then picked up the loose ball to cleverly lob a right-footed finish over Nicolas Schmid from the angle and into an empty net.

The Blues, who had lost Zak Swansea and Isaac Hayden as injury precautions earlier in the second half, in addition to Atkinson, suddenly began to look a little shaky, nonetheless they dug in admirably.

That included Hayden Matthews shrugging off an ankle injury to soldier on, with all substitutions having been made, and being pushed up front out of the way.

That was injury number four for the gutsy Blues during proceedings, but thankfully not to Murphy - the man with six goals and nine assists for a struggling side this season.