Portsmouth 2, Sunderland 1

Jan 25 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

WHEN you consider their last game was a humiliating 7-2 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea it is worrying to admit this result and performance against Portsmouth is even harder to accept for Sunderland.

While Chelsea are title contenders and were at their sublime best to give the Black Cats a spanking, Portsmouth are in the bottom three in the Premier League, their players do not know if they are even going to be paid each month and the club is in complete and utter turmoil off the pitch.

There were protests before, during and after the game as Pompey fans vented their anger and frustration at the mess in the boardroom which has brought the club to the brink of administration.

Yet, even with that distraction, and without their captain Michael Brown – who limped off after just nine minutes – Pompey were strong enough to see off a Sunderland side who were supposed to be giving us a fighting response to their nightmare at Stamford Bridge.

Instead, all we got was another limp away performance, devoid of creative spark, energy and discipline. Littered with defensive mistakes and short on any real attacking threat, this was a response which suggests Steve Bruce has major problems to deal with at the Stadium of Light.

Confidence has taken a battering, self-belief has been drained with each bad result. With just two wins in their last 15 games in all competitions, Sunderland are showing relegation form and, with a few notable exceptions, they played like relegation candidates at Fratton Park.