Portsmouth

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said their 1-1 draw at home to QPR felt like a missed opportunity.

Mousinho's side dominated the first half and led through Terry Devlin's goal, but could have been further ahead.

Rangers were better after the interval and Jimmy Dunne's equaliser earned them a point - and sent Pompey into the Championship relegation zone.

"We were excellent in the first half and well deserving of the lead. We could have had a couple more - that was the only disappointing thing," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"Then in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half we just didn't do the things we'd done in the first half and were punished for that.

"On balance, it was a fair result, but the way we dominated the first 45, we definitely should have won the game and had it out of sight by that point, so it does feel like there was an opportunity there to get three points. We created enough to win the game.

"We have to take the point and dust ourselves off, because we've got Charlton here in three days' time."

Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers will be holding hopes on either side of the table when they face each other on Boxing Day (15:00 GMT) at Fratton Park.

For Pompey, the aim will be to avoid a potential drop into the relegation zone that only a win can provide if Oxford take victory against Southampton.

While a draw could be enough to see the Hoops enter the top six, though three could nestle them into the play-off positions quite nicely.

• Portsmouth did the double over QPR last season, as many times as they'd beaten them in their previous 16 league meetings (D5 L9).

• QPR have won just one of their last six away league games against Portsmouth (D2 L3), beating them 3-1 in the second tier in May 2000.

• Portsmouth have lost their last two Boxing Day league games, last losing more consecutively between 1994 and 1996 (3).

• QPR have won just one of their last 11 Boxing Day league games (D2 L8), failing to score in each of their last five since a 3-0 win against Ipswich in 2018.

• Portsmouth forward Conor Chaplin has scored five goals in six Championship appearances against QPR (4 in 4 for Barnsley, 1 in 2 for Ipswich), his most goals against an opponent at this level.

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Portsmouth manager John Mousinho says winger Josh Murphy is likely to be available for the visit of QPR on Friday (15:00 GMT kick-off) and has also praised Callum Lang's form since returning to the side.

Murphy was forced off with an injury just eight minutes into the second half during the 1-1 draw at Derby on Saturday, with Lang having scored the opening goal at Pride Park.

"Josh hasn't flagged too badly so we're going to see how he is tomorrow [Wednesday] and go from there," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've just gone on the symptoms with Josh and it's settled down really well, so we're pretty hopeful he's going to be available."

Lang finished off an excellent team move for his second goal in two games, having returned at the end of November after missing 13 league matches with injury.

"Really good to have Callum back, we've missed him a lot since that Norwich game [on 16 August]," Mousinho added.

"To come back and score the two goals but also the performances and have that level of influence on the game has been really impressive."

On the prospect of facing QPR, who are seventh and pushing for a play-off spot after five wins in their past seven games, Mousinho added: "They're flying at the moment, they beat Leicester last week, 4-0 up at half-time.

"They've certainly turned things around from a difficult start they had. They've been one of the form sides recently."

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Portsmouth boss John Mousinho admitted that Saturday's goal against Derby County was something that his side had been recently working on.

Pompey opened the scoring in their 1-1 draw with the Rams via an impressive sweeping team move, external that started at one end with goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid and ended up the other with Callum Lang firing the ball into the net.

The goal stood out because of the eye-catching one-touch football that carved Derby open during the early stages of the game.

Mousinho provided some insight into this being a new way of his side playing after struggling with other methods already this campaign.

"It's a distinct area of the game that we've tried to work on," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"This time last year we were a lot more direct and probably a lot more physical going longer, we've tried that at times this year and it hasn't quite worked for a number of reasons.

"Over the last couple of weeks we have tried to play a little bit more, some of the attacking players we've got it's worth really trying to get the ball to their feet.

"It was more a consequence of an attitude shift in the players, they had to be brave and executed it brilliantly.

"You have to take the rough with the smooth because there were moments where we did look slightly vulnerable but we're asking the boys to play forward with purpose, not to keep it relentlessly at the back and I thought they did that really well."

After an encouraging start to the campaign Portsmouth have struggled for form as of late, partly because of injuries, but look to be regaining some confidence with the return of winger Josh Murphy and Saturday's goalscorer Lang.

Over the Christmas period they welcome QPR to Fratton Park on Boxing Day and Charlton on the 29 December before a trip to Bristol City on New Year's Day.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Image source, Getty Images

After four consecutive away defeats this point was very welcome.

Goals have been the issue on the road and the one Portsmouth scored against Derby was a brilliant team move expertly finished off by Callum Lang.

Having him back in the side from injury makes a huge difference.

Despite taking the early lead, Portsmouth were fortunate the equaliser didn't arrive until the stroke of half-time. Derby had been wasteful in front of goal up until that point.

Pompey improved in the second half but without making any clear chances. They must improve in front of goal if they're to survive this season.

They were under the cosh for the final 10 minutes and did well to survive all the pressure with no defenders on the bench able to add reinforcements.

Especially as Regan Poole hadn't played for nearly a month and Hayden Matthews had issues with cramp.

Josh Murphy was brought off as a precaution after feeling his hamstring, with a fit and firing Murphy vital to this team. Without him fixing their issues in the final third will be significantly harder.

Image source, PA Media

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent after the 1-1 draw at Derby County:

"I think it's a good point in the end.

"Obviously the last five or 10 minutes we were hanging on. But not through the whole game.

"I thought we were well worth the point and on another day, not on chance creation but on how well we played, we could have taken all three points."

Derby head into Saturday's game (15:00 GMT) now four points short of the Championship play-off places, but did end a three-game winless run by beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on Monday.

Portsmouth moved out of the relegation zone by beating Blackburn Rovers last weekend, but do have the worst away record in the division.

• Derby are unbeaten in their past 10 league games against Portsmouth (W4 D6), winning this exact fixture 4-0 last season.

• Portsmouth have won just one of their past 10 away league games against Derby (D3 L6), and are winless in six since a 2-1 victory in November 2002.

• Derby were 3-0 winners against Sheffield Wednesday in their previous Championship outing – only once previously have they won consecutive league matches without conceding under John Eustace (1-0 v Norwich and QPR in October this year).

• Following their 2-1 win versus Blackburn, Portsmouth will be looking for consecutive Championship victories for the first time since April (5-3 v Norwich, 1-0 v Watford).

• Two of the three players who have attempted 25+ shots without scoring in the Championship this season play for Portsmouth: Josh Murphy (34) and Conor Chaplin (25), along with QPR's Karamoko Dembélé (33).

Portsmouth are down to a shortlist of players they are targeting when the January transfer window opens, says head coach John Mousinho.

Pompey are only one point clear of the Championship relegation zone as they prepare for Saturday's match at Derby (15:00 GMT) with Mousinho looking to strengthen his squad next month.

"We are at the shortlist stage. We've cut down the long list to four or five players in every position," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"We're still looking at players in every position because we don't know how quickly things are going to change from week-to-week or day-to-day. We've got an idea of what we want, we just have to be fluid with it."

Portsmouth signed eight players in last season's January window as they pulled clear of trouble to retain their Championship status, but Mousinho believes patience will be the key to land the additions they want next month.

"It's difficult for everyone because the players that are going to be available, clubs wait until after the third round of the FA Cup to see what picture changes at their club," he added.

"Until they've got a couple of incomings they don't let players go which is probably sensible.

"The most important thing is everybody wants signings through the door really early but we've done a lot of our business late in January over the three windows I've been here so it's about patience."

Meanwhile Mousinho confirmed defender Regan Poole will be fit for Saturday's game at Pride Park after missing the past two matches with an ankle injury but fellow defender Josh Knight will be out for at least another fortnight with bruising to his back.

Portsmouth's comeback win over relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers was much-needed but the club still need to bring in fresh faces in the January transfer window.

That's according to The News' chief sports writer Neil Allen, who joined BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Andy Moon on this week's Who Needs Mourinho? podcast.

"We put a lot of emphasis on set-pieces when Pompey concede, perhaps we should start putting it on when they score as well?" said Allen.

"It was a simple routine, nothing special, nothing extraordinary, but a great ball into the box and a really good header having lost his man from [Ibane] Bowat.

"We all want Conor Chaplin to succeed and great for him, also great for Bowat - he's had a torrid time at Pompey, mainly through injuries wrecking his first season.

"And for him to end up as the winner in front of the Fratton End was pretty special."

It was defender Bowat's first goal for the club in only his fifth league appearance having missed the whole of last season with a knee injury.

Despite the 2-1 win, which leaves Pompey one point clear of the relegation zone and with a game in hand over 22nd-placed Oxford, Allen believes further reinforcements will be needed to escape danger.

"Pompey still need players in many positions, they still need a big January window," Allen added.

Listen to the latest episode of Who Needs Mourinho? in full on BBC Sounds

Callum Lang hopes Pompey have found the right formula at Fratton Park to help them move away from the Championship basement.

The 27-year-old marked his first 90 minutes of the season with the equaliser as Portsmouth came from behind to beat Blackburn on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak and move a point above the relegation zone.

He told BBC Radio Solent: "It's been a frustrating time for us, it just relieves a bit of pressure off us.

"We want to make Fratton Park hard to come, like it was last season, our home form is what kept us up so we want to get back to that as soon as possible. It feels like it could be the start.

"When you're down there it's easy to be negative and get frustrated but you just have to focus on the job in hand.

"It's just having confidence in what the gaffer wants us to do. Second half we got the press right which is a big part of our game here, so we'll take 100% confidence from that second half and we know what we can do here as a home side."

Lang said pressing with energy off the ball was the key to the Blues' success and added: "We have to stick with our principles, off the ball making sure we are a really hard team to play through.

"Any time we have won here it's been an aggressive performance and I feel like that's what a Pompey side needs to look like.

"Hopefully it's the start of something in our home form, I have full confidence in the staff and lads around me, we know how it feels to be in this position.

"Hopefully we can keep on dragging as many teams into it as possible."

Tom Chappell
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

On Saturday, Pompey did what we had previously seemed unable to do - get ourselves on the right side of a tight game and win.

It was easily one of the most important wins of the season so far and one of the most important games for John Mousinho professionally in his career. That man and this club pulled it out of the bag at the weekend.

This cannot be another false dawn, Pompey must kick on and make a fist of Championship survival this season.

We started the game much the better side, a decent blast from Terry Devlin and a Josh Murphy cross that only just evaded Callum Lang at the back stick were the best chances of the game.

That all came before Yuki Ohashi was permitted to run a troublingly large portion of the Fratton Park field and score - one of the worst examples of defending I've seen from us for a while.

At that point, the game and the season overall was looking to be heading one way. For the second time in the space of five days, Pompey were in a low quality game between two poor sides and were still losing.

Three balls cleared off the line shortly after the interval galvanised Fratton Park, an unlikely source of energy which that paved the way for a trademark Murphy delivery, with Lang in the perfect spot to fire home.

There is nothing better than the feeling of anticipation at the ground when Pompey get back into a game, look to score the winner and it arrives. Priceless.

Even putting the goal aside, Ibane Bowat was exemplary on Saturday. His Pompey career to date has been anything but straightforward and he was a thoroughly deserving match winner.

His header from a Conor Chaplin corner had a touch of the Conor Shaughnessy about it - rising highest, a big first contact with plenty of power behind it. It just so happened to be from the same route that won us League One that night.

Saturday night was the earliest that the sun will set this calendar year. It will take a lot more than beating Blackburn to ensure the sun doesn't set on Pompey's stint in the Championship by the end of the season.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel

Joshua Adu-Donkor
BBC Final Score

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The famous Fratton Park atmosphere can be the key to Portsmouth getting out of trouble this season.

Their 2-1 comeback win over Blackburn was a reminder of the power their home support can have in matches and they must lean into it more moving forward.

Once the home team found its feet in the game, the crowd were electric and loud in helping them end a run of three winless league games.

This match was proof it can be a powerful tool in their quest for safety this campaign.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

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This result somehow changes everything and nothing.

Portsmouth will still need to make shrewd acquisitions in January, while being outside the relegation zone right now is nice but not the most important thing.

They are likely to be battling for their place in the Championship for the rest of the season but anyone departing Fratton Park could see there is real fight in this side and there might be enough quality to survive.

It was a win that came from such unlikely position. One down after an hour against a side with one of the best away records in the division.

At that moment Portsmouth had not scored a goal for more than three-and-a-half games and had not really looked like finding the net.

A brilliant Josh Murphy cross enabled Callum Lang to level. The Fratton Park roar was seriously loud. Then, for once this season a set-piece goal won Pompey a match rather than losing them one.

The noise at the final whistle was one of relief as much as joy. There is no guarantee this season is a success but Pompey have dragged another side into the relegation picture.

The more the merrier down there.

Image source, Opta

A big game at the bottom end of the Championship as Portsmouth host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with both sides desperate for three points.

Pompey remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety, after they suffered a third defeat in a row at fellow strugglers Swansea on Tuesday.

They'll get another chance to close the gap on those around them when they take on a Blackburn side five points ahead of them in 20th.

Rovers' form has not been the best having not picked up a win in their past six league outings, drawing three on the bounce heading into this.

• Portsmouth are looking to register consecutive league wins against Blackburn for the first time since September 1985.

• Blackburn Rovers have won two of their last seven away league games against Portsmouth (D2 L3).

• Portsmouth have lost three of their last five home league games (W1 D1), only one fewer in their previous 22 combined (W13 D5 L4).

• Blackburn have won five of their last eight away league games (D1 L2), winning three of their last four since losing at Coventry in October.

• Portsmouth's Conor Chaplin has been involved in six goals in his last seven league games against Blackburn (4 goals, 2 assists).

Portsmouth must not panic and think they need to make wholesale changes to improve their Championship form, according to boss John Mousinho.

Pompey have slipped into the relegation zone on the back of a run of seven defeats from their past nine matches, with their 1-0 reverse at Swansea on Tuesday making it three successive losses.

"The gut reaction after losing any game is we have to change something, we've got to come up with another solution," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"The answer to that is if we'd not conceded that goal [at Swansea] and come away with a 0-0 draw away from home we go into the changing room and say that's a solid platform to build off.

"So we probably don't change too much but look at some of the aspects of the game we need to be better at."

Portsmouth are two points adrift of safety, albeit with a game in hand on Oxford United, who are directly above them, and host Blackburn on Saturday (15:00 GMT) which is part of a run of three games at home in their next four fixtures.

Mousinho is remaining calm and refusing to panic despite their drop down the table.

"That's the key, to not go too over the top and say we need to make those wholesale changes and at times this season we have needed them," he added.

You can hear the full interview with John Mousinho and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

"It was a pretty grim spectacle but we're at the point of the season where no-one's really too bothered and if Pompey had nicked it at the end it would have been a glorious night - it looked like a game between two pretty poor teams."

BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Portsmouth commentator Andrew Moon discuss a 1-0 Championship defeat by Swansea which leaves them two points adrift of safety in the relegation zone.

Listen to this and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent commentator

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A new season low and a very worrying night for Portsmouth. They will lose matches in the Championship against slick, impressive opponents but Swansea were poor and Pompey barely laid a glove on them.

There was no issue defending set-pieces. The inexperienced centre-back pairing of Hayden Matthews and Ibane Bowat did fine.

Pompey could not take advantage of a multitude of decent attacking positions and barely created a chance all night.

This is now a squad devoid of confidence. John Mousinho changed things again with Callum Lang playing as a striker. Lang worked incredibly hard but it made little impact.

Fans will look ahead to the January transfer window but Pompey are in danger of being cast adrift by then if they cannot turn things around in the coming weeks. Seven defeats from nine is a grim run.