Righto, Ed Aarons’ report is with us, which means we’re finished here.
Thanks all for your company and comments – peace out.
In Scotland, SPL leaders Hearts scraped a 1-0 win at Dundee, playing the whole of the second half with 10 men and requiring a brilliant injury-time save from Craig Gordon to hang on to the points. They lead Celtic and Rangers by six points.
Mousinho reckons it was a contest for 65 minutes, but the better side won. Pompey’s goal came from an aggressive press and his team worked it well after that, but the defending at set-pieces wasn’t good enough. His players can take heart from how they played, but the injuries they’ve suffered are a problem for a thin squad.
Arteta was quite calm today, but this was a match his side were never likely to lose. Whether he can maintain that equilibrium as things get tighter remains to be seen – the manic energy we’ve felt from him in the past can’t have done his players any favours.
Arteta looks extremely happy as he comes to conduct his post-match interview, laughing that his team started exactly as they didn’t want to. But he’s happy he was able to change 10 players and win, whole Martinelli’s hat-trick and Salmon’s debut are also positives.
At half-time, he altered the structure so Arsenal could play through the press then, prompted by Martin Keown, explains how important Havertz is. But that’s so of all the players, they’re all involved, and all feel part of things. Some players need a bit more training than others, so it’s a thin line, but they’re trying to make sure everyone as what they need to be ready.
Finally, he praises how Arne Slot handled the Martinelli/Bradley situation, saying he knows the game so knew no ill was intended, then off he pops.
Our next live match comes from Old Trafford, where Darren Fletcher’s Man United take on Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton. Contests between these two sides tend to be exciting, and Rob Smyth will be bringing it to you.
Next for Arteta’s team comes a trip to Chelsea for the first leg of the League Cup semi. That should be tasty, in any event but also because it’s Liam Rosenior’s first home game as manager. I’m looking forward to seeing how he sets his team up – my guess is he’ll target whoever plays left-back for Arsenal, and looks to get men around Zubiendi, who isn’t as physical as some.
I don’t think we can learn that much about Arsenal from what we saw today, but their second-string attackers looks sharp – which is what competition for places can do. They know that Saka is a lock for the right-wing position, but the spots on the left and through the middle are, as they say, up for grabs now, to any of the various able to assert themselves. My sense is that Arteta soon settles on Havertz at centre-forward, but if Jesus or Gyokeres start scoring, they can make it theirs.
Scores from elsewhere:
Hull 0-0 Blackburn
Norwich City 4-0 Walsall
Sheffield United 3-4 Mansfield Town
Swansea 1-1 West Brom
West Ham 1-0 QPR
We’re at the 66-70 minute mark in the top four matches, with almost an hour gone at West Ham.
FULL-TIME: Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal
For about 50 minutes, this was a terrific contest, but class eventually told and Arsenal remain in the hunt for all four major trophies.
90+3 min Odegaard crosses, Havertz chests down and swivels into a shot in search of what’d be a crucial goal for his mental state, but Ogilvie gets low to block.
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90+1 min Portsmouth need to take the energy and endeavour of this performance and apply it in every Championship fixture; if they do, their relegation fears will soon dissipate.
90 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
90 min Ball into Odegaard, who finds Havertz through the middle, and his backheel finds Madueke, but the resultant cross is headed clear.
89 min Madueke slows down Williams, does him on the outside, there’s a coming together that knocks him off his feet … but it’s not enough for another penalty.
87 min A look at the score suggests this has been easy for Arsenal, but that’s not the case – Portsmouth have made them work hard, and if they could only defend set-pieces – easier said than done – things might’ve gone differently. Arteta’s men, though, don’t believe they can lose matches of this ilk, and after falling behind they retained composure then did what they do.
85 min Eze swings to the near post, Poole leaping amid a phalanx of bodies to head behind, then Bishop and Chaplin combine to clear the second delivery.
83 min Oh man, Umeh chases a ball down the channel and his hamstring goes. He’s had trouble of this ilk before, and you feel for him; Pompey having used their five changes, are consequently down to 10. Meantime, Devlin blocks a Havertz shot at cost of a corner.
82 min Off goes Martinelli who, after the whole Conor Bradley kerfuffle, has had quite a few days; Zubimendi replaces him.
81 min Anditdontstop. Rob Smyth is on-hand for Manchester United v Brighton, which kicks off in 50 minutes.
80 min Elsewhere, Mansfield of League One lead 3-1 at Sheffield United of the Championship.
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78 min “I think Gazza’s peak was the first couple of years at Lazio,” returns Niall Mullen." “I never saw an English player with that level of skill and ability to dominate a game in the toughest league there maybe ever was. He burned brightly but briefly obviously.”
I dunno, Gazza only played 43 times for Lazio, in three years. I don’t think I can award best-ever status for so small a body of work.
76 min Another change for Arsenal, the 16-year-old Marli Salmon becoming the youngest player to represent arsenal in the FA Cup. What a feeling that must be for him and his family.
74 min Arsenal’s set-piece prowess is surely a self-fulfilling prophesy. Opponents know there’s something coming, the players have got good at taking their time to up the anticipation, and when the execution is good, it’s pretty difficult to do much about it.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal (Martinelli 72)
Another vicious corner from Madueke, Martinelli leaping at the near post to flick in his hat-trick goal – it’s the first of his career – and though Bursic might’ve saved it, he could only help it into the net.
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71 min Havertz is back into it right away, sending Madueke away, and he slows Poole down, speeds up to work a shooting lane then, from a tight angle, shoots low and hard, Bursic’s save earning Arsenal another corner.
69 min A triple change for Arsenal, Timber, Odegaard and Havertz replacing White, Nwaneri and Jesus. Decent options to have in reserve.
68 min Again, Segecic wriggles away from a challenge then cuts across White, who fouls him and is booked.
66 min Eze looks to feed a ball through the centre for Jesus, but Poole does well to intercede. Meantime Mark Dawson emails thusly: “Everyone loves Gazza, but he’s not even the best midfielder to play for Spurs (in my 54 years watching). Hoddle stands supreme. I’d also rate Le Tiss over Gazza. But probably still Robbo over all.”
Le Tiss was brilliant, I agree, but I’ve never seen the combination of power, touch and imagination that Gazza brought to things. He’d be as brilliant today, whereas I think Hoddle – and Le Tiss – would have to adjust to the physicality.
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65 min Segecic megs White out on the left, so White shoves him over by way of punishment for his effrontery; Segecic then curls in a decent free-kick, headed away well by Merino.
63 min Zachary Roth adds Christian Norgaard to the list of religious names; similarly, Eberechi means “God’s mercy” in Igbo.
62 min Changes for Portsmouth, Le Roux and Shaughnessy going off with Pack and Ogilvie coming on.
61 min Now Portsmouth move forward down the right, White opting to take no chances with a searching cross, helping it behind; the resultant corner comes to nothing.
60 min Arsenal win another corner, this time down the right, Madueke with it, and Portsmouth clear at the near post.
59 min And for balance:
58 min “Captain Marvel was exceptional,” reckons Niall Mullen, “but at his peak I’d say Gazza was the best English midfielder (and player) in my 43 years of watching football.”
Gazza was special and unique, but when was that peak? Was Spurs’ 1991 FA Cup run enough? Incidentally, Gazza rates Robson as the best player he encountered.
57 min Nice from Arsenal, White into Madueke who, inside the box, plays a little ball to Nwaneri, follows the flicked return … and is crowded out.
56 min Nwaneri, who’s been quiet so far, veers through midfield, Le Roux moves in for the kill, fouls him, and is booked.
55 min Portsmouth are still going after this and, though you feat for them as gaps appear, they may as well lose by a couple more trying to get back into the match.
54 min ”Are these the most religious team selections ever?” wonders Anthony Findlay. “We have a Chaplin, Bishop, Kirk, Jesus and a lot of Gabriels.”
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-3 Arsenal (Martinelli 52)
That might be that. After a foul on Martinelli, Lewis-Skelly takes a quick free-kick, switching to Jesus, whose low cross is perfect, whipped through the corridor, and Martinelli slots home at the far post.
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50 min And the corner picks out Segecic on the far side of the box, the ball drops, he sets himself to shoot, makes decent connection with his laces … but the time all that took allows White to block with his body. That’s excellent defending.
49 min Nice from Segecic, who darts in behind White, meets the pass that plays him in with a flick, and wins the corner when his attempted cross is blocked.
46 min Pompey started the first half really well, but can they find a way of getting at Arsenal again?
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46 min We go again…
Our players are back with us…
Today is Bryan Robson’s birthday so, given he was the first captain to lift the FA Cup three times, let’s enjoy this reminder of just how good he was. I’ve not seen a better midfielder in my 43 years watching English football.
HALF-TIME: Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal
A typically entertaining first half and, after Martinelli’s missed chance and Madueke’s missed penalty, Portsmouth remain in the game.
45+3 min I doubt Mousinho is too disheartened to be trailing at half-time. He’ll be vexed his team conceded twice from corners, but in general play they’ve competed well and a second goal doesn’t necessarily look beyond them.
45+1 min We’ll have three additional minutes; the free-kick comes to nowt.
45 min I daresay the Arsenal players will be hearing some words at half-time: with those two chances for Martinelli and Madueke, the game should be over, and now Segecic is preparing to stick a free-kick into the box, Lewis-Skelly having been booked for fouling Umeh.
MADUEKE MISSES THE PENALTY!
He stutters, pauses, waits for the keeper to move, then strokes an expert’s finish, dead calm and composed, oh isn’t this so easy for him, what a natural, past the right-hand post.
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PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
Madueke isolates Swanson, grooves around him on the outside, and it’s so obvious what’s coming next: a clumsy, lazy, impatient fall into him, giving the ref no choice but to point to the spot.
41 min Arsenal move it nicely, eventually finding White down the right, his low cross through the corridor and to the back post is a goodun, Martinelli is there … and somehow, he studs a finish into the turf which hits the post!
40 min Yup, Umeh replaces Blair and is immediately into the action, scrapping for possession.
39 min Bad news fro Pompey: Blair, their most threatening attacker so far, is down. I don’t think he’ll be able to continue.
37 min In the meantime, though they win a free-kick on halfway and send the big men forward – they’re having a proper go at this – but the delivery is poor. So Arsenal counter, Madueke coming in on his left foot and annihilating a low shot, bravely blocked at source by Poole.
35 min Arsenal haven’t yet found a way of controlling the game – they need Zubimendi for that really – but my guess is it gets easier as Portsmouth tire and press less.
33 min Arsenal now have 16 goals from set-piece this season, remarkable work from the players and dedicated coach, Nicolas Jover. I do think – and this isn’t an Arsenal-related point, especially – refs need to police contact in the box better, and force teams to take their corners and free-kicks quicker, but it’s about time these aspects of the game were taken seriously again.
31 min But just like that it’s almost 3-1, Eze knocking back to Norgaard, whose first-time pass, through the middle, is superb, setting Martinelli away. Losing balance, he opens his body, looking to curl low from the edge, but doesn’t get quite enough draw and the shot zips just wide.
29 min After almost half-an-hour of purposeful football, it’s now a bit scrappy. I don’t imagine Portsmouth will mind that too much, and they still look confident in possession, moving it about and trying to work angles.
27 min This has been an exceptionally entertaining half, but do Portsmouth have another goal in them? Or, more pertinently, can they avoid conceding another?
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal (Martinelli 26)
They cannot. Madueke swings in a brute, Martinelli, attacking the front post, leaps, and uses the pace of the ball to not past Bursic. Pompey have done really well so far, but they trail thanks to Arsenal’s old set-piece trick.
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24 min Eze’s smart pass ushers Madueke into the box, down its left-hand side, and Swanson does really well to nick the ball behind. Can Pompey defend this second corner properly?
23 min Shaughnessy flings himself into another juddering challenge, setting Pompey away, but seeking a shooting lane, Segesic is quickly blocked off, then Arsenal counter, Jesus’ heavy touch allowing Bursic to claim at his feet.
21 min Excellent work from Shaughnessy, who intercepts a pass seeking Madueke, then thunders into a challenge. I really like the way Pompey are going about this, even if it has me wondering how they can be 21st in the Champo. If they displayed this level of intensity and acumen in every game, especially away from home, I’m sure they’d be doing better.
19 min Pompey look really well prepared for this match and they’re pressing Arsenal high; I don’t think they rate Kepa’s ability to play out, and they’re forcing him to play long, then looking to win possession and go from there.
16 min My net drops out then returns in time for me to see Devlin skirting around the outside of Lewis-Skelly – they need to keep targeting him – but the cut-back is behind everyone. No matter: Blair, who looks extremely useful and was previously at Liverpool, moves in off the left, curving low towards the far bottom corner … and Kepa dives to tip away. This is a decent contest and is I’m, duty-bound to report A Proper, Honest, Good, Old-Fashioned FA Cup TieTM.
13 min We’re shown the equaliser again and there’s a suggestion that Dozzell applied the final touch, but I think it was Norgaard sliding it in through him.
12 min Gabriel Jesus always looks like a man who’s just realised he’s gone out without his trousers.
9 min I guess Portsmouth will feel they’re in the match and the weather is worsening, wind and rain swirling. Arsenal, though, look to be taking over.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal (Norgaard 7)
That’s so disappointing for Pompey. The corner, swung to the front post, isn’t great, but Martinelli ducks to half-head, half-back the ball into the middle, Gabriel forces it towards the back post, and Norgaard bundles in. That was not good defending, at all, and having seen it, you’ll fear for Portsmouth on every set-piece.
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7 min There’s some kind of medical situation behind the goal, so the game is briefly paused, but we’re back under way again.
5 min Arsenal attack for the first time, Martinelli’s cross headed behind; Eze comes over to take the corner down the left, but it’s not quite the same without Rice swinging it in.
5 min Portsmouth have started this game superbly. From kick-off, they started their intentions, looking to get the ball forward, and there’s been a focused fury about their work so far.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-0 Arsenal ( Bishop 3)
Noise! Blair does well down the left, picking a clever square-pass to Chaplin with Arsenal expecting a cross. Using the direction of the ball, he sweeps a shot goalwards, Kepa parries but can’t get it out of the danger-zone, and Bishop opens his body to punch a finish high into the net! This competition, oh my complete and utter absolute days.
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1 min Long ball, knockdown, cross into the box; Pompey look to put Arsenal under pressure immediately, and I’d not be surprised if they look to put a big man on Lewis-Skelly to create a back-post mismatch. For now, though, he and Arsenal get the ball away.
1 min Away we go!
In the WSL, league leaders Man City have won again:
Out come our players; Fratton Park is bouncing.
Leeds have come from behind to win 3-1 at Derby:
When I think of this kind of thing, I think of the Italy squad which won the 2006 World Cup – Marcello Lippi to six strikers and each of them contributed something significant – and Man United in 2012-13, when they won the league not because they were good, they weren’t, but because they had varied attackers able to turn tight games. In all these years of finishing second, Arsenal haven’t had that – until now.
Email! “Having decent reinforcements is, as you say, pretty crucial for Arsenal if they’re to manage campaigns on multiple fronts,” reckons Charles Antaki. “In fact it would be true even if they just had the Premier League to worry about. But the extra benefit of the recent recruits is what I suppose we must call the vibe factor: Madueke giving immediate and lively evidence that he’s a terrific back-up to Saka, and more especially Eze ‘coming home’ to a club he seems to have a genuine affection for. The positive sentiments around them will start to evaporate at some point, especially if they don’t play, or play badly when they do get on. But even the fumes will sustain the faith among the faithful for some time yet.”
I agree – especially in a team which isn’t free-scoring, options are crucial when it comes to settling right matches in what might be a tight title race. Arsenal have needed an alternative to Saka for a few seasons now, and in the absence of a reliable goalscorer, a variety of different profiles able to score might just compensate.
Arteta hopes to get Havertz some minutes and wants his players to be present and in the moment. He knows there’s a long history of cup upsets, so his team need to be switched on.
So how do Pompey beat them? Well, this isn’t an XI used to playing together, so the cohesion won’t necessarily be there. Pompey need to crowd the midfield and get at Lewis-Skelly down their right – great talent though he is, he’s not played much lately, struggled in midweek, and isn’t a natural full-back. Otherwise, they’ll want to get Blair in and in behind Norgaard, who’s not a centre-back, and Kepa has a mistake in him if he can be targeted with crosses and shots.
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Arsenal, though, are going for all four major trophies – they meet Chelsea in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final in midweek. It’s a while since they won one, and I’m sure a man as intense as Arteta will have them fired up.
The weather is every bit as minging as you’d want it to be, dingy, and rainy. That won’t do Portsmouth any harm, and I daresay they’ll be testing Kepa under some high balls, perhaps with some long shots too.
Mousinho tells TNT that his players have done all the work they need to, he made a few little tweaks after seeing the Arsenal teamsheet, and now his players are ready to go. Pompey haven’t played since New Year’s Day and the break has done them good as they were a little thin in terms of numbers.
Otherwise, though, he wants the team to enjoy it and knows the home crowd will get them going as they do every week. He thinks Arsenal are the best team in the world but there’s no pressure on Portsmouth and it’s a special occasion, especially as it’s his 150th match in charge.
At Pride Park, Leeds have come from behind to lead Derby. They’re playing with so much confidence now they’re setting up in a 3-5-2.
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Bad news for Liverpool:
I would, though, like to see Eze off the left, even if to excel in that role, he could use a left-footed left-back with the pace to go on the outside. I’d expect him to take the position in time, but for now he’s having to be patient.
Eze, meanwhile, hasn’t quite got going at Arsenal, currently understudying Leandro Trossard. In a sense, his signing was a risk as, at 27, he’s not getting that much better, but when you’re competing for the big pots it’s not just about the best 1-11 but about the ability to rest players whole having serious talent able to affect games from the bench, Even if Eze doesn’t establish himself as a first pick, there’s every chance he earns Arsenal a few points with crucial contributions off the bench.
Areteta has gone hyper-attacking in midfield, with Mikel Merino the single pivot, flanked by Ethan Nwaneri and Eberechi Eze. The former’s career has stalled a little after a thrilling introduction to senior football – I wonder whether, if further opportunities aren’t forthcoming, he might leave in the summer. But in the meantime, I’m excited to see how he does in a central role, because he’s got a lot of talent.
I’m a little surprised Victor Gyokeres wasn’t offered the chance to nab a confidence-building goal. Arsenal need more from him than they’re getting and, as the pressure increases the closer we get to the end of the season, there won’t be many chances to give him opportunities. But Mikel Arteta goes for Gabriel Jesus up front, whose return might yet be crucial, and Kai Havertz is back on the bench after a long-term injury.
As for Arsenal, Gabriel is the only man who started against Liverpool who starts this afternoon. Otherwise, it’s an entirely new side, with Christian Norgaard pressed into action as an emergency centre-back in the absences of Hincapie and Mosquera.
John Mousinho makes three changes to his Portsmouth side. Despite the 5-0 Bristol City gubbing, the back seven stay the same, with the changes all coming in attack; out go Swift, Bowat and Kirk, all three of whom are on the bench; in come Bishop, Chaplain and Blair, which is not, as it turns out, some kind of time-travelling comedy situation.
Teams!
Portsmouth (4-2-3-1): Bursik; Devlin, Shaughnessy, Poole, Swanson; Dozzell, Le Roux; Segecic, Bishop, Chaplin; Blair. Subs: Killip, Williams, Bowat, Ogilvie, Farrell, Pack, Swift, Umeh, Kirk.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga; White, Norgaaard, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Merino, Nwaneri, Eze; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli. Subs: Raya, Saka, Odegaard, Timber, Gyokeres, Havertz, Zubimendi, Rice, Salmon.
Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Preamble
In 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup; in 2010, they were relegated from the Premier League.
These things were connected: European qualification cost the club a load in bonuses, players were sold, and the owner, not necessarily the kind of bloke you’d want owning your football club, ceased funding it, after which followed 15 largely miserable years. Pompey now sit fourth-bottom of the Championship.
I’d be amazed, though, if there’s a single fan not comfortable with these consequences. Of course, they’d like things to be different, but they’ll be reliving about that day at Wembley and the consequent European campaign until the day they die; it’s worth a lot more than a few more top-division, mid-table finishes. Football is about sharing moments and days with people you love, and no competition has been delivering them for longer nor with greater intensity than the FA Cup.
Pompey will, though, have to find something major to get a result today. Last time out, they were clattered 5-0 at Bristol City, while Arsenal, the country’s top team, can rest every midweek starter and still select an intimidatingly good XI. If they play well today, it won’t be close but, on the other hand, Fratton Park is designed to make that as difficult as possible and, if the home side can start well, you never know.
Kick-off: 2pm GMT
