Division One leaders Sunderland increased the pressure on their promotion
rivals with a comfortable victory over crisis club Portsmouth.
Goals from Daniele Dichio and Kevin Phillips either side of half-time were
enough to clinch all three points in an effective rather than sparkling
display.
Former Pompey player Kevin Ball was a rock at the heart of the Sunderland
midfield as they gradually wore the visitors down.
It took Peter Reid's side just nine minutes to underline their superiority
after Phillips chased down a long pass out of defence.
The former Watford striker laid the ball back to Allan Johnston on the left,
and he produced the perfect cross for Dichio, in for the injured Niall Quinn, to
head home his 12th goal of the season.
However, the goal came at some cost to the scorer, who careered head-first
into defender Michalis Vlachos as he beat Alan Knight, and he was only able to
continue after several minutes' treatment.
Sunderland were well on top but seemed to take their foot off the pedal, with
Portsmouth prospering in central midfield through the lively Jeff Peron.
But the visitors were unable to create any real problems, and keeper Thomas
Sorensen's biggest test came as he dealt with a less than friendly 21st-minute
back-pass from Chris Makin.
The home supporters waited until the 38th-minute before they really got behind
their team, and Phillips almost made it two when he just failed to connect with
Nicky Summerbee's cross from the right.
Sunderland needed to up the tempo after the break, and Ball and Phillips both
went close in quick succession.
The visitors should have been level with 58 minutes gone when Peron shot over
from close range after good work by Sammy Igoe on the right, and they were made
to pay within two minutes.
Summerbee was given all the time in the world to cross from the right and
Phillips was unmarked at the far post as he sent a bullet header into the empty
net.
Makin blasted a left-foot shot just over from 25 yards 14 minutes from time as
the home side looked to wrap things up in style, and substitute Michael Bridges
could have made it three in the dying seconds but for a fine save from Knight.
Teams
Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Melville, Butler, Gray, Summerbee,
Clark (Williams 63), Ball, Johnston, Dichio (Bridges 81),Phillips.
Subs Not Used: Smith.
Goals: Dichio 9, Phillips 60.
Portsmouth: Knight, Whitbread, Vlachos (Perrett 69), Awford,
Peron, Thogersen, Igoe (Nightingale 80), Simpson, Robinson,
Whittingham, Claridge.
Subs Not Used: Durnin.
Booked: Vlachos, Awford.
Att: 37,656
Ref: K Lynch (Kirk Hammerton).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook