FOOTBALL Live

Sunday December 7, 2008 Finished The Hawthorns

1 - 1

West Bromwich

  • Greening 39’

Portsmouth

  • Crouch 58’
  1. West Brom end losing run

    West Brom end losing run

    West Bromwich Albion ended a four-match losing streak by sharing a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth at The Hawthorns. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • West Bromwich
    • Portsmouth
    • 90+4' Both sides press ferociously for the final goal, but their attempts amount to nothing and an enthralling second half finishes. The 1-1 draw is about a fair reflection of the game, both managers appear reasonably satisfied.
    • 90+3' An overly anxious Glen Johnson commits a rash challenge on Paul Robinson and is booked, in what is probably the final action of the game.
    • 90+2' Diop buys a free-kick for Portsmouth, but it is again wasted by Kranjcar, who has had a poor game. Kanu is on in place of the goalscorer, Peter Crouch.
    • 90' Four minutes to be added following Miller's injury and this game could still go either way; both sides are looking dangerous right now.
    • 89' Robert Koren almost finds himself in a goalscoring position, but it doesn't quite fall for him; while straight at the other end, successive tackles from Olsson deny Defoe from letting rip.
    • 87' A raking pass from Greening almost finds Brunt, who was loitering dangerously at the back post, but the pass goes out of play, just.
    • 85' It's all Portsmouth at the moment and West Brom can hardly get out of their half, which must have something to do with the departure of Miller, who is adept at holding the ball up.
    • 83' Unbelievable! Glen Johnson does brilliantly to get a cross in from the right byline, and Carson drops it, perilously close to crossing the goalline, but just about survives! A very hairy moment from the keeper there.
    • 80' But Kranjcar commits the cardinal sin of firing his effort straight and low into the wall, to be easily cleared - poor.
    • 79' Crouch plays a neat one-two with Kranjcar and wins a free-kick just outside the area - very similar to the one West Brom took the lead with.
    • 76' It looks as if Miller's day is coming to a close after looking to have injured his calf. There is quite a delay as the striker is stretchered off, and Luke Moore replaces him.
    • 74' Glen Johnson misses inexplicably from 12 yards out after storming into the West Brom area, firing over the bar, when he surely had to score.
    • 72' The game is becoming increasingly stretched now, with both sides looking to go for the three points.
    • 69' Valero makes way for Bednar - an ambitious substitution by Tony Mowbray, putting his two big strikers in joint force.
    • 67' Defoe attempts a highly ambitious lob over Carson after jinking into the West Brom area - it would have been a stupendous goal if it had gone in!
    • 65' A fantastic save by David James, point-blank from Miller's driven shot to his far post - a fine reflex stop by the veteran keeper.
    • 63' Crouch has suddenly began to show for the ball when Pompey are in possession, with Jermain Defoe looking ever more sprightly - they are a different side after the goal.
    • 60' West Brom looked stunned by that sudden strike, after they were looking so composed and comfortable. Ishmael Miller is cutting an increasingly frustrated and isolated figure up-front on his own. Jonas Olsson is booked for petulance to compound the situation.
    • 58' GOAL!! Out of nothing, Peter Crouch unleashes a fearsome shot from the edge of the area into the top corner! Pompey have not looked like equalising, but there it is, 1-1.
    • 55' The game descends into a niggly midfield battle for a few minutes, with neither side able to get effective control of possession.
    • 53' Miller again finds himself through on goal, but Campbell does well to recover and cramp the striker's space as he attempts to cut inside.
    • 51' Ishmael Miller brings a smart stop from David James, diving to his right to parry the striker's drive from an acute angle.
    • 49' A superb chance for Portsmouth goes awry; Jermain Defoe finding himself in acres of space down the right wing and cutting the ball back for Crouch, but it runs behind him and the striker can't adjust his run.
    • 48' Little is straight into the action in the form of corner-kick duties and he delivers a good ball to Diop, whose header is tame.
    • 46' The second half is underway and Glen Little has been introduced into the action by Tony Adams in a solitary change, in place of Nadir Belhadj.
    • 45+2' That's half-time at The Hawthorns and West Brom go in 1-0 up, deservedly. Portsmouth have created very little themselves. Looking at replays of Sol Campbell being penalied for the crucial free-kick - it looks very harsh.
    • 45' Two minutes will be added, with Chris Brunt continuing to look outstanding down the left, but West Brom need more firepower to him to target in attack.
    • 44' Tony Mowbray will be desperate to go in at half time now and settle his side down after taking the lead. It will also be interesting to see if Carson resumes after the break - he still seems to be struggling.
    • 42' West Brom go straight back on the attack - they only know one way here at The Hawthorns. Papa Bouba Diop is booked for a mis-timed challenge on Morrison in the Portsmouth half.
    • 39' GOAL!!! The free-kick results in a goal as Brunt hits the bar with a fine curling effort and skipper Jonathan Greening taps-in. How Pompey will rue conceding that free-kick now.
    • 39' A very dangerous free-kick is conceded by Sol Campbell, jostling with Miller on the edge of the box.
    • 37' Scott Carson appears to be limping and struggling to take his goal-kicks. He signals to the bench but seems fine to carry on despite the pain.
    • 35' West Brom are dominating possession on the whole, but Portsmouth look threatening on the break with their abundance of pace.
    • 32' The play continues to be concentrated int eh middle of the park with neither team able to string together any meaningful sequence of passes to create a clear-cut chance.
    • 29' All the play is down the left for West Brom with Glen Johnson called into action, but standing up to the tests well thus far.
    • 27' Ishmael Miller bulldozes past Sol Campbell with ease, which is another worrying defensive sign for Tony Adams. Chris Brunt then misses a glorious chance, opening up his body to curl a left-footed shot across goal, but he misses the target.
    • 24' James Morrison is allowed to advance well into the Portsmouth half, with defenders backing off all around him, but his driven shot flashes narrowly past James' far post.
    • 22' In a game lacking a touch of quality, it would be good to see Defoe get on the ball a bit more for Portsmouth, and also Valero for the hosts.
    • 20' Jermain Defoe is furious with referee Mike Dean as the referee penalises Peter Crouch for a lovely little flick-on into the path of his strike partner - there was minimal contact.
    • 17' Bizarrely Kranjcar and Johnson deem it fit to hold the ball near their right corner flag as if killing time; David James is unimpressed as he launches the eventual back-pass up the field.
    • 14' Chris Brunt is providing good width for The Baggies down their left, and a fine ball from the winger finds Ishmael Miller's head 12 yards out, but the striker mis-directs his effort.
    • 12' Robert Koren and Papa Bouba Diop are engaged in a feisty tussel in the centre of midfield at present, with the game becoming distinctly scrappy as a result.
    • 10' West Brom's record signing Borja Valero skips down the right, past Noe Pamarot all too easily for Tony Adams' liking. Of course Nadir Belhadj has been playing there with distinction of late, but he has been pushed into midfield today.
    • 9' Kranjcar whips in a dangerous free-kick from 20 yards out, but it is well cleared under pressure by Jonas Olsson.
    • 7' David James, ever the perfectionist, lambasts himself after a pretty standard goal kick which slices fractionally off to the right - I think he should be slightly less harsh on himself.
    • 5' Glen Johnson enjoys his first marauding run down the right for Portsmouth, but Paul Robinson makes a typically robust challenge to stop him in his tracks.
    • 3' West Brom, renowned for their penchant for attractive football, are quick to get the ball on the floor and string some passes about with Greening the usual focal point.
    • 1' We're underway at The Hawthorns and immediately the irrepressible Niko Kranjcar skips down the left for the visitors, but Scott Carson is given a comfortable early touch.
    • - The home side are set to start with Ishmael Miller in a lone striker role, while Pompey welcome back midfield maestro Niko Kranjcar, with Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch leading the forward line.
    • - Welcome to the Premier League encounter between West Brom and Portsmouth at The Hawthorns. Tony Adams' side are unbeaten in four games, while Tony Mowbray's bottom-placed Baggies have lost their last four.

  • Team Stats

    West Bromwich Stats Portsmouth
    46% Possession 53%
    15 Shots 8
    4 Shots on target 1
    0 Saves 2
    3 Corners 5
    12 Fouls 10
    8 Offsides 3
    1 Yellow cards 2
    0 Red cards 0
    26 Tackles 20
    283 Accurate passes 346
    69 Bad passes 84

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • West Bromwich
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      19 Scott Carson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 0
      26 Jonas Olsson 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 30 5 5
      3 Paul Robinson 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 36 17 1
      22 Gianni Zuiverloon 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 23 1 7
      23 Abdoulaye Meite 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 22 2 0
      7 Robert Koren 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 47 4 2
      8 Jonathan Greening 1 2 1 1 3 1 0 34 6 3
      28 Borja Valero 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 27 4 2
      27 James Morrison 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 20 2 1
      11 Chris Brunt 0 3 0 1 2 0 0 24 20 4
      10 Ishmael Miller 0 5 2 1 3 4 0 7 2 0
      5 Leon Barnett 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      20 Filipe Teixeira 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Marek Cech 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      16 Luke Moore 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 2 1
      1 Dean Kiely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      14 Do-Heon Kim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      9 Roman Bednar 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 4 0 0
    • Portsmouth
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 David James 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 6 0
      23 Sol Campbell 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 20 0 3
      16 Noe Pamarot 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 45 14 3
      5 Glen Johnson 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 32 2 4
      39 Nadir Belhadj 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 19 5 2
      15 Sylvain Distin 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 30 8 2
      19 Niko Kranjcar 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 43 14 2
      28 Sean Davis 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 45 10 2
      8 Papa Bouba Diop 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 42 9 1
      14 Jermain Defoe 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 13 5 0
      9 Peter Crouch 1 3 1 1 2 2 0 25 7 1
      18 Arnold Mvuemba 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      35 Marc Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      10 David Nugent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      27 Nwankwo Kanu 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0
      7 Hermann Hreidarsson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      25 Glen Little 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3 0
      21 Jamie Ashdown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 74' Glen Johnson misses inexplicably from 12 yards out after storming into the West Brom area, firing over the bar, when he surely had to score.
    • 65' A fantastic save by David James, point-blank from Miller's driven shot to his far post - a fine reflex stop by the veteran keeper.
    • 58' GOAL!! Out of nothing, Peter Crouch unleashes a fearsome shot from the edge of the area into the top corner! Pompey have not looked like equalising, but there it is, 1-1.
    • 51' Ishmael Miller brings a smart stop from David James, diving to his right to parry the striker's drive from an acute angle.
    • 49' A superb chance for Portsmouth goes awry; Jermain Defoe finding himself in acres of space down the right wing and cutting the ball back for Crouch, but it runs behind him and the striker can't adjust his run.
    • 39' GOAL!!! The free-kick results in a goal as Brunt hits the bar with a fine curling effort and skipper Jonathan Greening taps-in. How Pompey will rue conceding that free-kick now.
    • 27' Ishmael Miller bulldozes past Sol Campbell with ease, which is another worrying defensive sign for Tony Adams. Chris Brunt then misses a glorious chance, opening up his body to curl a left-footed shot across goal, but he misses the target.
    • 24' James Morrison is allowed to advance well into the Portsmouth half, with defenders backing off all around him, but his driven shot flashes narrowly past James' far post.
    • 14' Chris Brunt is providing good width for The Baggies down their left, and a fine ball from the winger finds Ishmael Miller's head 12 yards out, but the striker mis-directs his effort.
    • - Welcome to the Premier League encounter between West Brom and Portsmouth at The Hawthorns. Tony Adams' side are unbeaten in four games, while Tony Mowbray's bottom-placed Baggies have lost their last four.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Mike Dean

  • West Bromwich

    Manager: Tony Mowbray

    Captain: Jonathan Greening

    Starting line-up

    • S. Carson
    • G. Zuiverloon
    • A. Meite
    • J. Olsson Yellow Card
    • P. Robinson
    • C. Brunt
    • R. Koren
    • J. Greening Goal
    • V. Borja Substitution Out (69′)
    • J. Morrison
    • I. Miller Substitution Out (76′)

    Subs

    • D. Kiely
    • F. Teixeira
    • L. Moore Substitution In76′
    • R. Bednar Substitution In69′
    • M. Cech
    • D. Kim
    • L. Barnett

    Injured

    • N. Clement

    Suspended

    None

  • Portsmouth

    Manager: Tony Adams

    Captain: David James

    Starting line-up

    • D. James
    • G. Johnson Yellow Card
    • S. Distin
    • S. Campbell
    • N. Pamarot
    • N. Belhadj Substitution Out (45′)
    • P. Bouba Diop Yellow Card
    • S. Davis
    • N. Kranjcar
    • P. Crouch Goal Substitution Out (92′)
    • J. Defoe

    Subs

    • N. Kanu Substitution In92′
    • H. Hreidarsson
    • G. Little Substitution In45′
    • J. Ashdown
    • A. Mvuemba
    • D. Nugent
    • M. Wilson

    Injured

    • J. Utaka
    • L. Diarra

    Suspended

    None