Portsmouth 3 Peterborough 1: Classy Blues rediscover League One goal touch in convincing display
The Blues had found themselves behind to Ricky-Jade Jones’ 20-minute opener and struggling to find a foothold.
Yet two home goals in five minutes turned the game on its head and laid the platform for a classy 3-1 triumph over Darren Ferguson’s men.
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Hide AdFirstly Colby Bishop headed home Marlon Pack’s cross and then Abu Kamara bagged his first for the club two minutes before the break.
Regan Poole made sure of a fully-deserved victory on 59 minutes, sliding in Kamara’s left-wing cross in front of the Fratton End.
Certainly the scoreline didn’t flatter the Blues, who turned in an outstanding second-half display, despite being reduced to 10 men following Joe Morrell’s 85th-minute red card.
Following successive League One draws, it was a welcome result heading into the international window, leaving them fifth in the table.
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Hide AdPeterborough drew the first save of the match on five minutes when Regan Poole’s clearance was cut out and Ricky Jade-Jones surged into the box.
He then squeezed in a shot from a tight angle which was pushed around the post by Will Norris, conceding the game’s first corner.
The deadlock was broken on 20 minutes when Jade-Jones got the better of Swanson inside the box.
The attacker cleverly managed to wrong-foot the right-back, creating enough room to curl a right-footed shot into the far corner to make it 1-0 to the Posh.
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Hide AdMoments later, Jade-Jones popped up at the far post, where Swanson was outnumbered, and met a cross with a shot fired narrowly wide.
Pompey responded by Bishop meeting Morrell’s right-wing cross with a flying header which shot narrowly past the post, although the striker was adamant he’d been fouled in the process.
However, on 38 minutes, Bishop did level with a header.
Pack delivered a wonderful ball in from the right and there was Pompey’s centre-forward flying in head home among a ruck of players in the six-yard box.
Within five minutes the Blues had themselves the lead, with Pack once more involved in the moment.
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Hide AdHis short corner was played to Whyte, whose first-time cross wasn’t the greatest, yet somehow it was missed by Romoney Crichlow and found its way to Kamara at the far post.
The loanee had time to calmly stroke a right-footed finish from close range and Pompey were 2-1 up.
With no changes at the break, Pompey struck the bar on 51 minutes when Swanson clipped in a cross which was headed by Morrell and then sent against his own crossbar by Hector Kyprianou.
With the ball still in play, Saydee curled in a right-footed shot which was brilliantly clawed past the far post by Nicholas Bilokapic.
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Hide AdMoments later, Bishop squared a pass to Kamara, whose fierce left-footed shot was superbly stopped by the keeper.
On 59 minutes it was 3-1 when Kamara fired in a shot-cum-cross from the left and there was Poole sliding in at the far post to finish in front of a jubilant Fratton End.
Morrell was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 85th minute, but Pompey held firm to record an important win.