Pompey grab dramatic draw

A late own goal from Ryan Shawcross saw Pompey grab a draw with Stoke amidst controversy.

Controversy at Britannia Stadium

A late own goal from Ryan Shawcross rescued a 2-2 draw for Portsmouth in a dramatic encounter at the Britannia Stadium. The match exploded into life after a drab opening with a goal from Nico Kranjcar mid-way through the second half. A minute later Glen Johnson was controversially adjudged to have handled in the area and Stoke equalised from the spot through James Beattie. The former Southampton player scored his second to complete an incredible five minutes when he nodded in a scuffed Danny Pugh volley from what appeared to be an offside position. However, Herman Hreidarsson rifled a shot across goal at the death which was deflected into his own net by centre-back Shawcross.

Effort

The first half was littered with a succession of speculative long-range shots with Portsmouth trio Johnson, Kranjcar and Angelos Basinas all hopelessly off-target. Jermaine Pennant's first testing cross from the right saw Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and Shawcross get in each other's way but Peter Crouch's follow-up looped harmlessly into the former's arms. Liam Lawrence's 18th-minute effort was the furthest and most ambitious attempted in the first-half but his high 40-yard volley dropped just over David James' crossbar. There was plenty of effort from both sides but little in the way of quality, typified by a run from David Nugent. The striker capitalised on Andy Wilkinson's slip near the touchline to sprint into the box but as Shawcross came across to challenge Nugent just ran the ball off the end of the pitch. In the 32nd minute Crouch headed Pennant's hanging cross back across goal when he should have taken the opportunity to test Sorensen. That was the closest Pompey came to goalmouth action as neither side created anything resembling a chance in the remainder of the half. Just three minutes after the break Beattie had the best chance of the game when Mamdy Sidibe threaded a ball in between centre-backs Sol Campbell and Sylvan Distin. However, despite the former Sheffield United striker being just 12 yards out his poor control allowed the ball roll to James. Lawrence and Hreidarsson were both yellow-carded in the 58th minute after the Pompey defender retaliated to a late challenge by his opponent. In the 66th minute, Crouch again rose highest at the far post to meet Pennant's cross but he could not keep his header down.

Drama

Then out of nowhere, the match was set alight with three goals scored in the space of five minutes. Portsmouth went ahead in the 75th minute when Crouch, Kranjcar and Nugent combined in midfield with the latter's defence-splitting pass putting the Croatian through to slot past Simonsen. Stoke equalised almost instantly when Johnson was ruled to have handballed in the penalty area from Campbell's unintentional flick-on, but replays showed the ball struck his shoulder. Beattie fired home the penalty and then added an equally controversial second straight after. Pugh's bouncing shot from Wilkinson's cross to the far post was headed in by the ex-Everton forward from close range, leaving Portsmouth players fuming as they appealed for offside. However, Pompey will argue that justice was done in injury time when Hreidarsson fired in a shot which deflected off Shawcross and past Sorensen.

Stoke City	Team Statistics	Portsmouth
2	Goals	2
0	1st Half Goals	0
2	Shots on Target	3
6	Shots off Target	4
0	Blocked Shots	2
2	Corners	3
8	Fouls	11
2	Offsides	0
1	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
63.8	Passing Success	75.4
20	Tackles	24
85	Tackles Success	70.8
36.3	Possession	63.7
47.4	Territorial Advantage	52.6