Murphy curls in his free-kick.
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Lomana Lua-Lua and Diomansy Kamara blew the roof off Fratton Park right at the
end as Portsmouth welcomed new French manager Alain Perrin with only their
second win in 13 Barclays Premiership games to ease growing relegation fears.
Perrin, former Troyes and Marseille boss, was brought in on Thursday and
admitted he knew nothing about Charlton who represented the opposition in the
first of Pompey's last seven games of a season gone sour.
And after a shotgun start he witnessed a Grand National finish as record
signing Kamara headed Pompey 3-2 up from a brilliant cross by LuaLua who then
ran clear on to Aiyegbeni Yakubu's pass to put away the final clincher with almost
the last kick.
There were wild scenes around the old stadium - especially with the news that
Harry Redknapp's Southampton had lost 3-0 at Blackburn - but the triumph was
just as strong for coach Joe Jordan and much-criticised director of football
Velimir Zajec who picked the team in Perrin's first game in charge.
In the end they were rewarded for boldness, playing three up front and three
at the back against opponents who only wanted to attack.
Pompey could not have asked for more than a two-goal lead to bless their new
regime and Yakubu's 15th goal of the season, an unmarked header, gave Perrin the
best possible start with just over two minutes on the clock.
LuaLua's smart touch on the ball freed Steve Stone on the right and the
winger's cross was perfectly placed on the forehead of the Nigerian who nodded
only his second goal from open play this year.
Poor marking made his job easier and Charlton boss Alan Curbishley will
certainly want to know where his troops were when Stone was allowed the room to
head in a Patrik Berger free-kick for 2-0 17 minutes later.
But the errors must have been attributable to the breakneck speed of the
first-half contest and Pompey did not pick up their targets when Danny Murphy
fashioned the first of two superb free-kicks that bought his side back into the
game and exposed the flaws in Pompey's rearguard.
His first picked out Jon Fortune to head his first League goal this season -
and a repeat of last season's here - little more than a minute after Stone's
strike.
And in first-half injury time Murphy, who had been booked for dissent, curled
another almost casually over Portsmouth's bedraggled defensive wall to leave
keeper Jamie Ashdown flat-footed.
It was a match that seemed to fly by at times with Pompey's veteran skipper
Arjan de Zeeuw apparently needing a time-out at one stage to take what looked
like an inhaler from the touchline and snatch a few breaths.
But for much of the proceedings Charlton looked the side more threatened by
relegation. Just one win in their previous seven had spoiled their chance of
Europe yet again.
And despite coming back from two down they should have been behind again four
minutes after the break when Yakubu ballooned his shot high over the bar after a
one-two with the hard-working Giannis Skopelitis cut open the Charlton defence.
The hard-working Greek star had a shot cleared off the line by Charlton
striker Shaun Bartlett and Pompey fans were stunned when Skopelitis was hauled
off soon afterwards to be replaced by Kamara.
But the Senegal star's introduction, along with an even newer signing Alex
Rodic, made sparks fly.
Dean Kiely saved from LuaLua, Chris Perry's brave tackle foiled Kamara and
Yakubu hit a post in a wild scramble.
They were up for the fight and Murphy continued to lead their band even though
Bartlett had to hobble off and be replaced by Kevin Lisbie.
But Kamara's winning header seven minutes from time after the outstanding
LuaLua crossed from the right was a just reward.
LuaLua then iced the cake when he also went clear to score right at the
finish.
Teams:
Portsmouth: Ashdown, Cisse, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic,
Taylor (Primus 80), Stone, Skopelitis (Kamara 60), Hughes,
Berger (Rodic 72), Yakubu, LuaLua.
Subs Not Used: Chalkias, O'Neil.
Booked: LuaLua.
Goals: Yakubu 3, Stone 20, Kamara 83, LuaLua 90.
Charlton: Kiely, Young, Perry (Johansson 88), Fortune,
Hreidarsson, Kishishev (Thomas 19), Holland, Murphy, Konchesky,
Jeffers, Bartlett (Lisbie 61).
Subs Not Used: Hughes, Andersen.
Booked: Murphy, Hreidarsson, Perry.
Goals: Fortune 22, Murphy 45.
Att: 20,108
Ref: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
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