Portsmouth Vs Hull City: Matt Crooks gives Tigers victory
In portsmouth vs hull city at Fratton Park on Saturday Hull City secured a 1-0 win as Matt Crooks scored the only goal. Portsmouth dominated possession and the chances but were left ruing wastefulness after a defensive error gifted the visitors the decisive moment.
Portsmouth Vs Hull City match
The match finished Portsmouth 0-1 Hull City, with Crooks delivering the vital strike. The Tigers left the south coast with a narrow victory that maintained their bid for automatic promotion from the Championship.
First half Portsmouth dominance and shots
Pompey had by far the better of the first half. They dominated possession — 69 percent in the half — and produced the bulk of the attempts, with 15 attempts on goal in the first half and all 14 of the other shots in the half. The visitors mustered only two shots in the match, but those were enough.
How the goal unfolded
The deadlock was broken in the second half after a huge lapse in concentration. Adrian Segecic twice erred: an earlier short pass had been fortunate, then a repeat short back pass put goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid under pressure. Schmid managed to scramble the ball away from the diving Oli McBurnie, but only as far as Matt Crooks, who connected perfectly to send the ball into an empty net. The strike has been described variously as a smash-and-grab, a tap-in after a double Segecic error and a composed finish; it was Crooks' fourth goal of the season.
Key saves and near misses
Hull keeper Ivor Pandur was kept busy throughout. He produced a terrific stop from Regan Poole at close range after Pompey failed to clear a corner, and pushed away a 25-yard piledriver from Zak Swanson. Pandur fumbled a Terry Devlin effort from range, with Colby Bishop unable to meet the rebound and questions raised over a potential penalty for a dragback. Pompey continued to press: Segecic and Bishop crashed shots across the face of goal, Swanson forced another save, and Millenic Alli had a low shot blocked. Late on Pompey peppered the Hull goal but were unable to find an equaliser.
Early chance and disallowed goal
Hull had an immediate scare early on when they should have opened the scoring after 44 seconds. Lewis Koumas got down the left after a quick turnover and sent a low ball into the box for Joe Gelhardt, who fired straight at Nicolas Schmid. Oli McBurnie headed the rebound home, but the linesman’s flag went up for offside and the goal was disallowed. That early let-off spurred Pompey into action and the hosts dominated the remainder of the first half.
Standings and upcoming fixtures
Portsmouth remain in 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone. The Tigers are now just three points behind second-placed Middlesbrough and have now won five away matches in a row, matching a 60-year record; the last time Hull had won as many on the road was 1966. Hull now face what could be a pivotal week as they play promotion rivals Ipswich Town and Millwall. Pompey lost back-to-back home matches for just the third time since their return to the second tier.
Manager reaction
Pompey head coach John Mousinho said: "I am very disappointed with the result. We controlled pretty much the entire game. Ultimately we came away with 21 shots, Hull had two, we completely shot ourselves in the foot with the goal. The manner of the goal was completely unacceptable. "
In summary, Portsmouth controlled possession and created the clearer openings but a defensive mix-up involving Adrian Segecic and a clinical finish from Matt Crooks decided the contest, leaving Hull to strengthen their promotion chase and Pompey to reflect on another frustrating home defeat.
