A powerfully efficient display from David O'Leary's in-form Leeds demolished
poor Portsmouth today.
The proud south coast club are deep in crisis but had hoped to upset the FA
Cup odds for the second time this season.
But, despite a passionate full house at Fratton Park and a promising opening,
Leeds' five star display was too much for Alan Ball's gallant Division One
team.
Goals from David Wetherall, Ian Harte, Harry Kewell, Bruno Ribeiro and Clyde
Wijnhard sealed Pompey's fate.
Now Ball's club face a harsh battle against bankruptcy and relegation for the
rest of the season.
The Pompey fans enjoyed their day, though, cheering rather than protesting for
a change.
Their FA Cup dream had burned brightly, if briefly, early in the tie against a
Leeds team without five first-team regulars for one reason and another.
Charged by the noisy 18,000 at Fratton and their third-round victory away at
Premiership Nottingham Forest, the underdogs started confidently and took a
ninth-minute lead through Luke Nightingale.
Pompey were given a rapturous welcome from their supporters and responded in
fine fashion with an impressive opening.
Nightingale latched on to a Jeff Peron cross to drive the ball past England
goalkeeper Nigel Martyn.
Peron had danced his way skilfully down the left wing before pulling a low
cross back from the byline.
It fell behind striker Steve Claridge and the recovering Leeds defenders, but
Nightingale had timed his run perfectly and finished coolly in a cluttered
goalmouth.
The celebrations, though, were short-lived, as The Yorkshire club took
advantage of slack marking to equalise inside two minutes.
Portsmouth may have been guilty of losing concentration after taking the lead,
and when Ribeiro hurled the ball into the danger zone from the left wing no one
had bothered to pick up defender Wetherall who accepted the chance to nod his
team level.
It was not long before the Pompey excitement was punctured further by a
wonderful strike from Harte.
Referee Gary Willard spotted an innocuous foul by Sammy Igoe on the edge of
the Pompey area after the defence had partly cleared a corner, and Harte stepped
up to blaze a superb free-kick beyond the despairing dive of veteran goalkeeper
Alan Knight.
The goal gave the Yorkshire side the initiative, and they never looked like
relinquishing control of the tie from that moment.
O'Leary recharged their batteries at half-time, and his team came out to
complete a demolition job in the second half.
Australian Harry Kewell chalked up the crucial third after a long period of
Leeds pressure.
Pompey failed to clear a corner, and Jonathon Woodgate forced a loose ball
wide to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on the right.
The Dutchman charged powerfully to the byline and chopped a low cross back
which found a route through a crowded goalmouth to Kewell who made no mistake
with a crisp finish.
Portsmouth had run themselves into the ground and, despite the occasional
hopeful flurry in front of goal, could not find a route back into the game.
Ribeiro claimed the fourth when his long-range effort was deflected past
Knight off Adrian Whitbread, and sub Wijnhard wrapped up the scoring with a
fifth.
Pompey refused to lie down, and only two top-class saves from Martyn prevented
them from celebrating a late consolation.
He clawed out a header from Greek defender Michalis Vlachos and dived
full-length to his left to turn a Claridge shot round the post in the final
minute.
Teams:
Portsmouth: Knight, Robinson, Simpson, McLoughlin, Whitbread,
Waterman (Phillips 57), Nightingale (Thogersen 74), Peron,
Vlachos, Claridge, Igoe.
Subs Not Used: Hillier, Flahavan, Perrett.
Goals: Nightingale 10.
Leeds: Martyn, Harte, Wetherall, Woodgate, Granville (Jones 45),
Halle (Knarvik 87), Hopkin, Ribeiro, Kewell, Hasselbaink,
Korsten (Wijnhard 65).
Subs Not Used: Wright, Robinson.
Booked: Hasselbaink, Ribeiro.
Goals: Wetherall 11, Harte 17, Kewell 50, Ribeiro 73,
Wijnhard 82.
Att: 18,864
Ref: G Willard (Worthing).
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