Middlesbrough 2 Portsmouth 0
Posted on May 11, 2008
Filed Under Premiership 07/08
Middlesbrough scored twice to make sure that they will be playing top flight football next season with the result over Portsmouth who themselves haven’t won for 3 games but are more likely looking forward to the Fa cup final against Cardiff in a couple of weeks at wembley.
Middlesbrough didn’t start the first half like a team who could win this football match.They started very nervous & Portsmouth had all the play & should have really took it to Middlesbrough & put the game out of reach in the first 25 minutes.Distin who was playing well put in a great cross field pass which was brought down by Mvuemba who then put in a superb cross only to see Baros shot easily blocked & the rebound fell to Johnson who fired his shot well wide of the goal.
Portsmouth had Middlesbrough on the back foot & was trying to score but wished they didn’t fall to Baros who still hadn’t scored since his loan move & don’t look like doing so.Like after 20 Min’s Mvuemba had the ball looked up & picked him out with a love easy pass only for Baros to fire it hard & over the bar from 10 yards no wonder Liverpool got rid of him.Middlesbrough had no attacking & didn’t look like they could score & they are only better then Derby in that respect. Gareth Southgate
After half an hour they did start to force something & Alves & Downing had long range shots which did trouble the Portsmouth Ashdown a bit but not to much.But with portsmouth now becoming wasteful Middlesbrough took there chance.They had a corner which Rochemback took he floated it over & Chris Riggot who was just called back from loan at Stoke powered a header past Ashdown & into the net to send them one up at half time.
Middlesbrough knew they had to score again as one goal in the premiership is not enough in this football league but the trouble was they hadn’t score two for 8 months so it was going to be a tall order.But it didn’t take long for them to dispel the wait as the goal came from a carbon copy of the first.
It was another corner which Downing took he swung it in & Tuncay run into the penalty box right across his marker & flicked his header which went straight passed Ashdown & into the net & give Middlesbrough that two goal cushion to the score.Portsmouth after there good start really fell away & must now give some hope to Cardiff if they play like this as they were dreadful at times.
They did get a chance later on when Kranjcar ran with the football straight at the Boro defence turned Wheater shot at goal but it went well wide.You could see Harry had had enough of this match & decided to make some changes to give them a kick up the bum.He took off Pape Bouba Diop & Baros & replaced them with Davis & Nugent. Harry Redknapp
With the two subs on Portsmouth didn’t look any better then before & it was middlesbrough who should have made it three when Downing was played in from a superb Rochemback pass which found him only 5 yards out but he managed to take his shot straight at Ashdown for the save.This result keeps Middlebrough in the premiership & no last day worries for Portsmouth will they win the Fa Cup on their form at the moment?
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