Ipswich heap misery on Pompey

Michael Chopra scored in the first half as Ipswich claimed their third straight win in the Championship with a 1-0 success at Portsmouth.

Portsmouth applied to the High Court to enter administration earlier on Tuesday and with a 10-point penalty imminent, a defeat was the last thing Michael Appleton's side needed at Fratton Park. But it was always on the cards as Ipswich were in charge throughout, although they could only manage one goal - a 13th-minute close-range finish from Chopra for his 11th goal of the season and fourth in the last three games. They should have won by a far greater margin as Damien Delaney headed against the bar and Lee Martin hit the post but after a run of two wins in 16 games, Paul Jewell's side have won their last three and are now able to look up in the table. For Portsmouth a fourth home defeat means that when they lose 10 points, they will be level with Nottingham Forest, who occupy the final place in the relegation zone. All the attention before the game had been on off-field matters at Fratton Park, but things on the field got off to just as a bad start for Pompey as Ipswich were straight onto the attack. First Delaney's header skimmed the bar inside the opening five minutes and the shots then came raining in on Stephen Henderson's goal, with the Pompey keeper almost spilling a Jay Emmanuel-Thomas effort from distance and then watching a Martin free-kick whizz just over the bar. It was only going to be a matter of time until Ipswich took the lead and it came in the 13th minute. Daryl Murphy headed on to the post and Chopra was in the right place to nudge home the rebound. Pompey had been simply over-run by a vibrant Ipswich side, but they could have levelled out of the blue after 25 minutes when Marko Futacs capitalised on a defensive error and lashed in an effort which was deflected wide for a corner. It was a rare moment of hope for Appleton's side as the Tractor Boys controlled the rest of the first half and Andy Drury could have extended their lead but Henderson did well to beat away his shot. Despite a string of set-backs over the years, Portsmouth's support has never wavered and they were again out in force tonight, trying to lift their side. But Ipswich remained in control and they should have doubled their lead midway through the second half but Martin shot over from Drury's cut-back, while Drury himself shot wide soon after. Portsmouth did have the ball in the net after 72 minutes following Greg Halford's long throw, but referee Darren Deadman ruled that no one else had touched it. The wave of Ipswich attacks were incessant as they searched for a second and Martin cracked the post with an effort and Henderson did well to save from Drury as the visitors had to settle for one.