Eurosport - Sat, 12 Sep 22:47:00 2009
A last-minute winner from Gary Cahill gave Bolton a 3-2 Premier League win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park and secured the first points of the season for Gary Megson's side.
Tamir Cohen opened the scoring for Bolton on 14 minutes before Younes Kaboul equalised 12 minutes later for the hosts.
Matthew Taylor re-established the visitors' lead from the spot three minutes before half-time after Tal Ben-Haim brought down Kevin Davies in the box but then Kevin-Prince Boateng levelled things on 65 minutes with a shot through a crowded penalty area.
Despite numerous chances it seemed as though the match would end level but Cahill's looping header from a goalmouth scramble gave Bolton all three points.
The two sides might have mustered just three goals between them in 630 minutes of Premier League football prior to the match, but it was high-octane stuff from the start.
The first decent chance of the match came after five minutes as Gretar Steinsson's cross found Davies, who headed straight at David James.
The visitors dominated the early exchanges and on 12 minutes it seemed that they would take the lead as Taylor was released into the box on the right by Steinsson, but he sliced appallingly with just the keeper to beat.
Two minutes later, Cohen was through in a mirror-image opportunity but the outcome was different as the midfielder buried the ball perfectly into the top-left corner, giving James no chance.
The goal spurred Pompey into action with Jamie O'Hara looking dangerous and it was a corner from the on-loan Spurs man that led to the equaliser as Kaboul thundered a perfect header low into the corner to level.
Kaboul came within a whisker of another headed goal from a corner just five minutes later, as Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen mis-timed his punch clear, but he ended up glancing the ball wide.
Further chances fell to O'Hara, Frederic Piquionne and Tommy Smith as Pompey's new signings all looked good value.
But it was Bolton who scored next as Nadir Belhadj let Davies get past him in the box and more or less compelled Ben-Haim to attempt a tackle from behind that ended inevitably in a foul and a penalty.
Taylor made no mistake from the spot against his former club, coolly delivering the ball into the bottom left as James dived the other way.
Two minutes later the hosts almost got back on terms as Smith just missed a ball slid across the front of goal by O'Hara.
The flow of chances slowed after the break although Taylor had a great chance just before the hour mark to put the game beyond Pompey, but he fired over.
Pompey were back on terms with Boateng latching on to the deflection from O'Hara's bicycle kick, and firing through the throng of bodies in the box past the unsighted Jaaskelainen.
As the legs tired the chances came with Cahill miscontrolling when clear and unmarked five yards from goal before Davies saw his shot deflected just over the bar.
It was left for Cahill to grab a dramatic winner with eferee Chris Foy waving away complaints of offside.
It was a cruel result for Portsmouth, who remain without a point after five matches.
Comment 1 - 13 of 13
always a blue forever a blue!!
PLAY UP POMPEY!!
i feel for the pompey fans, harry largely bought rubbish, the chairman cares less than mike ashley an the arab pulled out, hopefully they get some new finances by jan so they dont end up championship bound
Bolton are one of the truly rubbish teams in the EPL and if Pompey cannot even beat them at home then there is no hope, except perhaps three worse teams, maybe Hull, Burnley & Birmingham
cmon bolton send that set that sinking ship pompey adrift!!
PLAY UP POMPEY
.....sadly, I feel this one has "bore bore draw" plastered all over it but for Megson's sake I hope he takes the points. He can't possibly expect the travelling faithful to sit and watch the same cruddy performance they sat through last season (me amongst them). Get your shooting boots on Klasnic!
This is now Paul Harts team, before we juge him lets see what he has done with his new team.
john utaka will have another rush of blood but score this time, mark my words !!
pompey 3-0 bolton are shiat and so is the town
play up pompey we will take 3 points saturday
how can pompey win any game with the players they have.
Bolton will win easily
Bolton will win
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