We can be disappointed not to have won a game when we dominate possession, but Portsmouth made the best of their chances and we might also be relived that at least we finished with a point.
On paper at least it looked like Leeds had come into this game in much better shape than our opponents, with a full squad to choose from and a 100% record in the pre-season friendlies. While Pompey had a few injuries in a squad that didn’t have as much depth to start with, and hadn’t been quite so impressive in the build-up.
And the first 15 minutes did nothing to change that impression, as we hit the woodwork three times before taking the lead. First Bogle played an excellent ball through to Rutter as the Frenchman got behind the Pompey defence, and his cross set up Gnonto in the box. Willy should have scored, but his shot was deflected onto the bar and behind.
Ampadu got to the resulting corner but also hit the bar, before Firpo’s header back across goal was gratefully grabbed by Norris. Then Gruev came close to repeating his free kick heroics of the play-off semi-final, but this time the ball came crashing back off the spot where the post meets the bar. But we finally took the lead in the 10th minute.
As the ball was played into the right side of the area Ogilvie was caught napping and didn’t seem to have realised that Dan James was racing through behind him. Ogilvie lunged for the ball as James nipped in front of him, inevitably brining our man down for the penalty. I didn’t think Struijk was the obvious choice of taker, but he confidently sent the ball into the corner of the net as Norris dived the wrong way.
We could well have been three in front at this point, but after going in front we seemed to ease off a little bit and Pompey started to get a foothold in the game. Some of our play was getting a rather casual, and this was our undoing. Portsmouth’s equaliser in the 23rd minute was partly down to our defence losing it’s shape, with several players caught out of position.
As the visitors attacked down the left the ball was partially cleared, but only as far as a Pack, whose pass found Sørensen in the space where Bogle should have picked him up. The Dane did well to turn and shoot, but Meslier should have done much better than to let the ball pass through his hands for a shock equaliser.
The goal clearly lifted Pompey, though Leeds could have gone back in front. First when Norris reacted well to save from Gnonto with his legs, then when the keeper got behind a well struck shot from Joseph. Rutter was having one of those games when he tended to do too much in a crowded midfield, and when he did break through at the end of one of his runs his shot was a fair way wide.
But just before half time Portsmouth stunned Elland Road by taking the lead with their second attack. Rodon’s headed clearance was only as far as Lang, who flicked the ball up with his left foot before smashing it goalwards with his right as three defenders converged on him. This time we could attach no blame to Meslier, who would have seen the shot late before it whistled past him.
Their goals were very much against the run of play, but the away side were made to pay for a dozy start to the second half. Gnonto was allowed to make his way into the area, and accepted the invitation to fire Leeds level. At that point we expected Leeds to go on and win the game, but Gnonto was wide with another shot, and then Joseph sent the ball over from close range, after he couldn’t quite ‘get it out of his feet’ to set himself up for the shot.
I thought we missed a trick in not getting the ball out to James more once Ogilvie had been booked early in the second half. The Pompey full-back wasn’t even close to matching James for pace, so would have had to keep fouling James and risk a second yellow, or let the Welshman run by. Instead, James was one of three players to be substituted in the 71st minute.
Gnonto and Gruev also came off, with Piroe, Aaronson and Rothwell on in their place. So we had a slightly more attacking formation, but no natural wide players, so we continued to struggle to break down a stubborn Portsmouth defence. And the final change saw Joseph replaced by Bamford, who almost managed to complete the remaining 12 minutes without aggravating his latest injury.
And a chance came Bamford’s way from a Firpo cross, but he didn’t manage to send his flicked header in the right direction. But as we moved into five minutes stoppage time we seemed to have lost this eventful game, as the away side were awarded a controversial penalty. It was probably ‘six of one half a dozen of the other’ as Bogle and Saydee grappled on their way into the box, but the referee could only see Bogle’s arms around his opponent and so gave the spot kick.
Lang ran up slowly and waited for Meslier to commit himself, before casually rolling the ball to the other side. But just as we were wondering how we could have lost a game we’d dominated, we didn’t. Aaronson had a mixed reception when he came on, but the prodigal son went from zero to hero as he ran through to the edge of the area before shooting through a crowd of players for our second equaliser.
At least, he might have been the hero if he hadn’t missed the chance to win the game moments later. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as easy as it looked, wit Norris coming off his line very quickly, but in his efforts to send the ball past the keeper he also put it wide of the post. Though injury time stretched out to seven minutes to allow for the penalty, the wasn’t enough left to force a winner, and we had to settle for a 3-3 draw.
We can be pleased with how well we played for much of this game, but we still have a few familiar failings to eliminate if we are to avoid the agony of another failed promotion campaign this time.
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