Portsmouth Vs Hull City: Crooks strike settles tight Fratton Park contest
Hull City left Fratton Park with a 1-0 victory after Matt Crooks slid in the only goal, a result that matters for both sides in very different ways. The match-up billed as portsmouth vs hull city saw Portsmouth dominate possession and chances early but fail to convert, while the Tigers maintained their bid for automatic promotion.
Matt Crooks the match-winner after defensive error
Matt Crooks scored the decisive goal after a short back pass from Adrian Segecic put Nicolas Schmid under pressure, allowing Crooks to slide in and finish for the visitors. Oli McBurnie had an early opportunity for Hull ruled out for offside, and the game finished Portsmouth 0, Hull City 1 at the final whistle.
Fratton Park first half: Portsmouth dominance and missed chances
Portsmouth had by far the better of the first half, dominating possession and creating more chances. The home side registered 15 attempts on goal in the first half, keeping Hull keeper Ivor Pandur busy, yet were left ruing their wastefulness in front of goal.
Hull's promotion bid and mixed league-position reports
Hull maintained their bid for automatic promotion with the narrow victory. One report describes the Tigers as now just three points behind second-placed Middlesbrough; a separate preview described Hull as currently six points adrift of second-placed Middlesbrough with a game in hand after winning 17, drawing 6 and losing 10 of their 33 league matches. Hull have won their last four away league games and have won each of their last four away matches, keeping clean sheets in three of those victories.
Joe Gelhardt has been influential on the road for Hull, with five away goals this Championship season and four goals in his last six starts on the road.
Portsmouth's recent form, travel schedule and injuries
Portsmouth had played three consecutive games on the road before returning to Fratton Park for this fixture, their first home match since losing 1-0 to Sheffield United on 14 February. John Mousinho's side had enjoyed back-to-back 3-1 away wins over Charlton Athletic and Millwall earlier in the run, but were unable to make it three successive away wins in a 2-1 defeat against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground. Zak Swanson scored in the opening stages of the second period in that match to reduce Wrexham's two-goal advantage, but Portsmouth ultimately failed to find a leveller in their first away meeting with Wrexham since 1986.
Portsmouth are contending with a lengthy injury list that includes Keshi Anderson, Josh Murphy, Florian Bianchini, Franco Umeh and Thomas Waddingham. The club is also without the defensive quartet of Conor Shaughnessy, Hayden Matthews, Josh Knight and Keshi Anderson. Midfielders Mark Kosznovszky and Andre Dozzell are out with knee and ankle injuries respectively, and John Swift was forced off in the first half against Wrexham with a hamstring issue.
Head-to-head history and what the result means for both clubs
Portsmouth remain in 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone with three teams below them still left to play. The south-coast side have not beaten Hull since a 2-0 away victory in December 2020 and are winless in their last four league games against Hull (two draws, two defeats); their last longer run without beating the Tigers was between 1974 and 1980 (three draws, two defeats). Following Hull's 3-2 win in November, the Tigers were looking to complete their first league double over Portsmouth since 1966-67, and another win here kept that bid alive.
Portsmouth have not conceded more than one goal in any of their previous 10 Championship home games, while the club lost their last home league match and have only twice lost consecutive home matches at Fratton Park since the start of the last season (September 2024 and October 2025).
Second half ends: Portsmouth 0, Hull City 1. During stoppage, Liam Millar won a free kick in the defensive half for Hull.
Last updated 28 February 2026 at 09: 25 ET.
