Portsmouth boss John Mousinho was delighted to leave Middlesbrough with a point despite conceding a last-minute equaliser at the Riverside.
Pompey looked set for their first Championship win of the season thanks to Christian Saydee’s first-half double, only for substitute Tommy Conway to score a 90th-minute penalty for Michael Carrick’s side
Boro had 29 shots on goal and Mousinho admitted a point was the least the hosts deserved, but praised his players for preserving their unbeaten start to the campaign after draws with Leeds and Luton.
“As it got closer to full-time I thought we might hold on in there, but ultimately we probably conceded a few too many opportunities and on balance Middlesbrough deserved to win the game,” said the Portsmouth boss.
“To come away with a point is a really positive result.
“They didn’t punish us with the chances they created. It’s a really interesting one because if the game goes to 2-2 a bit earlier in the second half I think we change our mentality and play better than we did. But we sat in and sat in and sat in and got away with a few bits.
“Will (Norris, Portsmouth’s goalkeeper) dug us out of a couple of holes and there was some last-ditch defending, but I do think the mentality would have changed if we had conceded earlier. It did straight away as soon as it went to 2-2.
“It’s difficult to come to places like this, so credit to the lads for coming away with a point. We invited a bit too much pressure and sat deep and allowed Middlesbrough to play centrally.
“I look back at the goal and there’s a run off one of our players and we give the penalty away. There’s plenty to improve on but there was plenty of good play from Middlesbrough.”
Portsmouth got off to the perfect start when Saydee struck after just two minutes but Matt Clarke levelled for Boro against his former club nine minutes later.
Clarke was then involved in a defensive mix-up with goalkeeper Seny Dieng that led to Portsmouth and Saydee’s second goal, which looked set to be the winner until Conway kept his nerve from the spot after Isaiah Jones had been fouled.
Boro have four points from their opening three games and boss Carrick said: “I thought there were a lot of good things in the game for us.
“I thought we were okay – decent enough – last week at Derby, but we were very good at times today.
“We’re just giving ourselves a lot to do with the errors. For me, I’m judging it over a period of time through the game – how it looks, what we’re trying to do, success we’re getting from it – an individual error is the other side of that.
“Take that error out and over the three games we haven’t given much away at all, we’ve had a lot of shots, a lot of good play in and around the box and I thought today particularly was some of our best play in that area against a side who had a lot to hold on to.
“There was a lot of positives really, overall. It’s not like there is a lot going wrong within the whole performance.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
