Portsmouth's Nigerian striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu had the Fratton Park fans
finally believing in the 'Great Escape' as his first goal in more than two
months won the south-coast derby and avenged two previous defeats this season by
Southampton.
Saints new boss Paul Sturrock tasted Premiership defeat for the first time as Yakubu eventually came up
with a winning finish.
He had spurned at least three opportunities before the 68th minute when he
registered a strike as simple as blinking.
Alexei Smertin's neat ball down the right, Steve Stone's cross and an easy
tuck-away for Yakubu, the man who last scored on January 10 when Pompey last won
a Premiership match with his double against Manchester City.
The precious goal came amid a scrappy battle soon after a bottle had been
thrown from a notorious section of the crowd at Saints striker James Beattie who
dared to have a shot at goal.
It never got near him and a steward picked it up, but it was a measure of the
intimidation in the air in this Hampshire square-up.
All match the Pompey fans, when they were not verbally abusing their visitors,
had chanted the theme from the classic film the Great Escape.
They needed a three-goal win against their neighbours here to climb out of the
bottom three which may have been possible had Yakubu and Sheringham taken their chances.
Eyal Berkovic cried off from a Pompey comeback just before kick-off when he
reported ill, and, remarkably, there was yet another 11th-hour change needed,
this time for Saints, when centre-back Michael Svensson injured a calf muscle in
the warm-up. New signing Stephen Crainey stepped in.
With a swirling wind making life difficult for both sides, Sheringham floated
in a cute ball on two minutes and Saints' Jason Dodd reacted positively to head the
chance away over his own crossbar before Yakubu could pounce.
Southampton were very much feeling their way in the opening 20 minutes and
strikers Beattie and Phillips lived on hard-earned scraps for much of the time.
Senegal midfielder Amdy Faye was Pompey's driving inspiration after a slow
start and on-loan Russian Smertin's unstinting industry a prime factor as well.
Inevitably much of the action was frantic stuff as the gale-force wind blew around Fratton Park and Portsmouth could have
clinched the points in a four-minute spell in the first half.
Yakubu, somehow escaping a blatant offside, could put no power
into a Stone pass which he scuffed straight at Antti Niemi and soon afterwards,
in the 18th minute, he curled wide of the far post with only the goalkeeper to
beat.
Two minutes more and Sheringham, back in starting action after a hamstring
injury, controlled an awkward ball with all the aplomb he has learned in his
long career but then appeared to slip slightly and stabbed his shot straight at
Niemi.
Fratton Park had switched back to the old favourite Pompey Chimes by the time Kevin
Phillips saw his angled shot brilliantly saved by Shaka Hislop eight minutes
from the end and it must have sustained them through a lucky stoppage-time spell
when Phillips' shot from a Beattie knock-down came back from a post.
Pompey rode their luck, but a win is a win - and a start. Harry Redknapp will
have fresh hope now with nine games left.
Teams
Portsmouth Hislop, Stefanovic, De Zeeuw, Primus, Pasanen,
Taylor, Smertin, Faye, Stone, Sheringham, Yakubu (LuaLua 83).
Subs Not Used: Wapenaar, Hughes, Mornar, Curtis.
Goals: Yakubu 68.
Southampton Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Higginbotham,
Crainey (Fernandes 80), McCann (Pahars 73),
Anders Svensson (Prutton 60), Delap, Telfer, Phillips, Beattie.
Subs Not Used: Smith, Hall.
Booked: Higginbotham, Prutton.
Att: 20,140
Ref: M Halsey (Lancashire).
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