Portsmouth came from behind to defeat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at Fratton Park on Saturday, lifting themselves out of the Championship relegation zone with a crucial victory.
Callum Lang and Ibane Bowat scored second-half goals to overturn Yuki Ohashi’s first-half strike and end a three-match losing streak in emphatic fashion.
The Pompey vs Blackburn result sees John Mousinho’s side move above the dotted line, delivering an early Christmas gift to the 19,652 fans in attendance.
First-half frustration
Pompey dominated the opening exchanges, with Josh Murphy forcing an early save from Aynsley Pears after cutting inside and shooting.
Terry Devlin unleashed a thunderous 25-yard effort that Pears had to push away as the Blues pressed for an opener.
However, against the run of play, Blackburn took the lead on 36 minutes. Ohashi capitalised on a defensive lapse, advancing into the box unopposed before curling beyond Nicolas Schmid.
Mousinho had made one enforced change, with Andre Dozzell returning from suspension to replace the banned Marlon Pack in midfield.
The hosts struggled to recapture their early momentum before the interval, managing only a deflected Murphy effort and a Conor Chaplin free-kick that Pears collected comfortably.
Second-half comeback
The manager introduced Colby Bishop for Minhyeok Yang at half-time, shifting Lang to the right flank.
Pompey initially lacked fluency, prompting Mousinho to make another change just before the hour mark as Márk Kosznovszky replaced Swift.
The breakthrough nearly arrived when Chaplin’s shot was saved by Pears, with Lang’s follow-up blocked on the line by Yuri Ribeiro before Chaplin was denied again.
Zak Swanson then headed narrowly over from the resulting corner, but the equaliser finally came on 62 minutes.
Murphy delivered an excellent cross that LANG met at the far post, lashing the ball into the net to level the Pompey vs Blackburn result.
The atmosphere intensified as the Blues sensed victory, and their persistence paid off on 79 minutes when Chaplin’s corner was expertly glanced home by BOWAT for his first goal in Portsmouth colours.
Blackburn pushed for a late equaliser, with Sean McLoughlin heading wide from a corner, but Pompey held firm to secure all three points.
Manager’s reaction
Speaking after the match, Mousinho praised both his players and supporters for maintaining belief during difficult moments.
“The football club needed that result, but also the type of performance that we haven’t seen much over the past few weeks,” the Blues boss said.
“We’d been pretty good before the break without tearing Blackburn apart and so to come in behind was a kick in the teeth.
“The fact that we got back into the game and showed that level of intensity and desire to get the win was so important.”
Mousinho acknowledged his side’s flat start to the second period but credited their character for turning the game around.
“We clearly have some good characters in our dressing room and that’s big. We didn’t panic and it made the difference,” he added.
“When that equaliser went in, it was as loud and boisterous as I can remember at this ground. It was such a brilliant moment that spurred us on to get the win.”
The manager also praised the Fratton faithful for their patience during a challenging period.
“There’s genuine credit to everyone at Fratton Park because the reaction wasn’t what it could have been. Fair play for sticking with us when we’ve needed to show more as a side.”
Rather than dampening celebrations, Mousinho encouraged his squad to savour the victory.
“My default message in these situations is that we’ve achieved nothing after just one win, but I’m loathe to do that. I want the boys to get a little bit carried away and gain some confidence so they can really enjoy their football.”
On team news, the boss confirmed Regan Poole is nearing a return whilst Josh Knight continues to be monitored.
“Regan’s out running again and could be back for Derby, but if not then he should be fine for QPR or Charlton. There’s a bit of bone bruising with Josh and we’re monitoring that. It’s nothing too serious, but just needs to settle down.”
Bowat’s delight
Centre-back Bowat, who missed the entirety of last season through a serious knee injury, expressed his joy at scoring the winning goal.
“It was a great feeling to score in front of the fans and to help the team to secure a win that we very much needed,” he said.
“I thought we played well and it was such a shame to concede in the first half, but we came out aggressively after the break and managed to turn it around.”
The defender revealed Mousinho’s half-time instructions focused on increased energy and aggression.
“We knew that the game was there for the taking and so the manager just told us to show more energy and play on the front foot, which we responded well to.”
Bowat credited training ground work for the set-piece success that brought his goal.
“There’s been a lot of work on the training ground because we knew set-pieces was an area we needed to improve – defensively and offensively. So the message was to lose your marker, be aggressive and just try to put the ball in the back of the net, which is what I did.”
He also paid tribute to the supporters who roared the team to victory.
“The fans were amazing and when they all get behind us it’s like having a 12th man – they carried us through. It’s good to be able to give something back to them.”
Making his fifth league appearance for Pompey, Bowat reflected on his injury comeback.
“I obviously got a bit unlucky with the injury last season and so just putting on the shirt was something I’d been looking forward to for a long time. The physio staff really supported me to get back to where I am now – which is fully fit and able to play for 90 minutes.”
With a congested festive schedule ahead, the defender is determined to maintain his place in the side.
“It takes a while to get back up with the pace of the game, but these games have helped me grow in confidence and feel more comfortable on the pitch. There’s a busy schedule over Christmas and a lot of points up for grabs, so I want to make sure I’m there and able to help the team when I can.”
Match details
Pompey (4-2-3-1): Schmid; Devlin, Matthews (Williams 90+3), Bowat, Swanson; Swift (Kosznovszky 57), Dozzell; Minhyeok (Bishop 46), Chaplin, Murphy (c); Lang
Goals: Lang 62, Bowat 79
Booked: Matthews, Lang
Subs not used: Bursik, Sizer, Le Roux, Segečić, Blair, Kirk
Blackburn (3-1-4-2): Pears; Miller, McLoughlin, Ribeiro; Tavares (Tronstad 76); Alebiosu, Morishita (Baradji 70), Cantwell (c) (Gardner-Hickman 70), De Neve (Henriksson 84); Ohashi, Gudjohnsen (Gueye 84)
Goals: Ohashi 36
Booked: Ohashi, Alebiosu, Miller
Subs not used: Michalski, Pratt, Litherland, Pickering
Referee: Tim Robinson
Attendance: 19,652 (695 away fans)
