Former England Under-21 international Andy Awford scored his first home goal
to put the skids under promotion-chasing Sheffield United.
Awford scored his only other goal five years ago at Watford but he made no
mistake with a close-range header in the 64th minute.
He was perfectly placed to head home after fellow defender Adrian Whitbread
had set him up with a header across goal following a corner.
Sheffield United were stung into life by Awford's goal and several times came
close to snatching an equaliser.
Big striker Marcelo volleyed narrowly wide and had another goal-bound effort
deflected for a corner.
Powerful Norwegian defender Anders Jacobsen headed just over, but the best
chances fell to United's England youth striker Lee Morris.
Morris should have scored when Paul Devlin beat two defenders in the area and
left him with only goalkeeper Alan Knight to beat. But the veteran got across
brilliantly to block Morris's shot.
In the dying minutes, with Sheffield United committed to attack, they believed
they should have had a penalty.
Morris appeared to be brought down by Whitbread, but Leicester referee Paul
Danson rejected heated United appeals.
Manager Steve Bruce said: "The referee was the only person who did not think
it was a penalty, but it summed up our night.
"Portsmouth never troubled us all evening until they scored and not much
afterwards.
"Nothing seemed to go for us, and we knew when the penalty was rejected that
it was not going to be our night."
Norwegian defender Jacobsen provided Bruce with his only consolation in a
storming display. "Jacobsen was fantastic," he said. "He looks a real
discovery, and I hope he carries on like that. It was only his second game."
Match-winner Awford said: "I could not believe it when the crowd started
chanting my name. It was hard to understand that I had scored the goal.
"When we scored, I did not even know how to celebrate and now I only want to
get another one or two to add to my collection.
Teams
Portsmouth: Knight, Robinson, Simpson, McLoughlin, Whitbread,
Awford, Whittingham, Peron, Vlachos, Durnin, Igoe.
Subs Not Used: Thogersen, Miglioranzi, Nightingale.
Booked: Igoe.
Goals: Awford 64.
Sheff Utd: Tracey, Derry, Quinn, Woodhouse (Cullen 83), Jacobsen,
Holdsworth, Morris, Hamilton, Marcelo, Devlin, Ford (Twiss 83).
Subs Not Used: Henry.
Att: 10,287.
Ref: P Danson (Leicester).
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