Crisis-hit Portsmouth put their off-field woes behind them to win
only their second away game in the Barclays Premier League in the
last 16 months.
Pompey became the first top-flight club to enter into
administration on Friday, but the players rolled up their sleeves
to add to Burnley's own relegation fears.
Although Martin Paterson equalised Frederic Piquionne's
opener in the first half, Hassan Yebda grabbed the winner from the
spot 15 minutes from time for the visitors who ended the game with
10 men when Ricardo Rocha was dismissed late on.
At present Portsmouth stand five points from safety, but that
will become 14 when the Premier League board ratify a nine-point
deduction that comes with administration.
With only 33 to play for, Avram Grant's side are staring
relegation in the face, and the Clarets will likely join them on
the basis of this display.
Portsmouth were undoubtedly the more forthright side during
the opening exchanges, and deserved their lead when it came in the
25th minute.
Prior to that the industrious Danny Webber had dragged one
effort wide when well placed after Leon Cort had inadvertently
steered an attempted through-ball from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie into the
striker's path.
Pompey had the ball in the back of the net soon after but
celebrations were caught in the throats of their faithful followers
as Webber was marginally offside in steering home at the near post
a left-wing cross from Nadir Belhadj.
Any thoughts it was going to be another of those afternoons
at that stage were then swiftly dispelled when Piquionne made it
two goals in successive games.
Webber again played his part, albeit dragging another shot
that was heading two yards wide until on-loan Lyon forward
Piquionne steered the ball home at the far post, prompting an
optimistic chorus of "We are staying up."
However, Portsmouth would not be bottom of the table but for
their defensive fragility, and it duly reared its head in the 31st
minute, their lead lasting just six minutes.
From Brian Jensen's long goal-kick, Steven Fletcher appeared
to faintly flick the ball on into the area where an awaiting
Paterson superbly lifted it over David James who was rooted to his
six-yard line.
Anybody expecting Portsmouth to crumble after that were again
sorely mistaken as they could have headed into the interval having
restored their lead.
The unfortunate O'Hara, however, was denied by the left-hand
post after delightfully beating Jensen from 20 yards with a
left-foot curler delivered with his instep.
Pouncing on the rebound, Webber cracked a half-volley
goalwards, but was thwarted by the bravery of Danny Fox who threw
his body in the way to block.
O'Hara then wasted a golden opportunity to restore his side's
lead in the 55th minute when Clarets captain Clarke Carlisle was
made to look none too clever.
Carlisle appeared on Channel 4's Countdown in midweek,
winning two games, which light-heartedly led to his name on the
team sheet being jumbled up, akin to the conundrum part of the
programme.
But Carlisle's challenge just inside the area and with
Piquionne running away from goal was a needless one, leaving Mark
Clattenburg with an easy decision.
On-loan Spurs midfielder O'Hara then took on the
responsibility, and although his left-foot spot-kick was firm
enough, Jensen was the hero by diving the right way and blocking
with his body.
It was a let-off Burnley should have punished five minutes
later with a breakaway move down the right wing involving Elliott
and Paterson.
Paterson's delivery into the heart of the area was a piercing
one, picking out an unmarked Fletcher who was left with his head in
his hands after heading over from five yards.
Fletcher's embarrassment, however, was nothing to that of
Carlisle who gave away a second penalty in the 75th minute, tugging
on the shirt of substitute John Utaka after he had lost the ball
inside his own area, earning himself a booking in the process.
This time it was another of Pompey's on-loan players in
Benfica midfielder Yebda who stepped up, sending Jensen the wrong
way for only his second goal for the club, and first since October
3.
The home side naturally dominated the closing stages as they
went in search of a second equaliser, a task made easier in the
first of four minutes of injury time when Rocha was sent for two
bookable offences.
But despite bombarding the Pompey area, James was never
troubled, leaving Burnley with a miserable record that has now seen
them win just one of their last 16 league matches
