Second-half goals from Andre Dozzell and Mark O’Mahony earned Portsmouth a 2-0 victory at Oxford, inflicting a first home defeat on Gary Rowett since he took charge at the Kassam Stadium.
This was only Pompey’s second away win of the season in the Sky Bet Championship and ended a sorry run of seven straight defeats on the road.
The game was suspended for 30 minutes in the first half because of a medical emergency in the crowd.
And the visitors took control early in the second, Dozzell tapping home Rob Atkinson’s low cross from just two yards in the 47th minute after Oxford failed to clear a corner.
The hosts missed two good chances to equalise from close-range headers before Portsmouth sealed victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Terry Devlin’s header put O’Mahony through and he finished clinically, shooting low past Jamie Cumming.
Pompey started the brighter and in the opening seconds former Oxford winger Josh Murphy tested Cumming with a shot along the wet surface after Greg Leigh had given the ball away.
Murphy turned provider in the 10th minute, Colby Bishop heading his left-wing cross just past a post.
When the players returned to the pitch after the match had to be suspended, Oxford had a bit more about them.
Pompey goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid needed to race 15 yards out of his area to head clear as Przemyslaw Placheta threatened to break through and moments later Cameron Brannagan had a shot deflect narrowly wide.
As the home side upped the tempo, Placheta cut in from the right and Schmid just managed to turn his angled shot behind for a corner.
The game was very stop-start and continued that way until the break, with Rowett having to bring on Sam Long for an injured
Leigh, and Siriki Dembele and Callum Lang needing treatment following a clash of heads.
Dozzell’s goal at the start of the second half forced Oxford into playing with greater urgency, but they still struggled to create much, although they had good claims for a penalty for handball turned down by referee Will Finnie.
At the other end, on one of several swift Pompey counter-attacks, Lang struck a fierce drive straight into Cummings’ chest.
Rowett made a triple substitution midway through the second half and it was one of those subs, Stan Mills, who conjured up a first good scoring opportunity 20 minutes from time.
Mills delivered a perfect cross-field ball from the right for Placheta, coming in at the far post, but Schmid saved it with his body.
Mills himself then missed a great chance eight minutes from the end. Picked out well by Brannagan, he nodded wide from six yards.
Sub Matt Phillips also headed over from a great position in the final minute from another perfect Mills cross before O’Mahony sealed it for the visitors.
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