Portsmouth - 2 Tottenham - 0 Exposed as unkindly as their uncovered supporters to the elements, Spurs slipped almost unprotesting into the depths of the relegation battle yesterday, blown away by an unsubtle but committed Portsmouth team prepared to fight a lot harder for their Premiership status than their visitors seem to be.
The sad truth is that once Patrik Berger had scored the first of two second-half goals the men in white gave not the slightest indication they believed themselves capable of getting anything from the game.
And yet Spurs had started well. For half an hour they looked the more inventive team, particularly down the right, where Stephen Carr, Stephane Dalmat and Robbie Keane created space with incisive passing. But apart from a couple of shots from distance, they failed to extend Harald Wapenaar in the Portsmouth goal until three minutes before half-time, when Keane had a low shot from inside the area blocked.
That miss proved a turning point. Berger had already sent one free-kick just past the post shortly after half-time when he was given a second chance. From more than 30 yards out he kept his head down and simply walloped a low drive which swerved round the wall and past Kasey Keller in the Spurs goal.
The free-kick may have been debatable - Yakuba appeared to be backing into Anthony Gardner - but the effect of the goal left no room for doubt; almost to a man the Spurs heads went down.
In the next 15 minutes Yakuba netted twice, only to be ruled offside both times, before winning another free-kick, around 22 yards out but again in front of goal. This time Berger was subtle, curling his shot high past Keller.
PORTSMOUTH: Wapenaar; Zivkovic, Primus, Stefanovic, De Zeeuw, Stone, Sherwood (Hughes 78), Smertin (Taylor 90), Berger, Sheringham, Yakubu (Roberts 84). Subs Not Used: Srnicek, Schemmel. Booked: Sherwood. Goals: Berger 52, 68.
TOTTENHAM: Keller; Carr, Gardner, Richards, Taricco, Jackson, Poyet (Postiga 61), King, Dalmat (Ricketts 69), Kanoute (Zamora 85), Keane. Subs Not Used: Burch, Doherty. Booked: Taricco.
Referee: S Dunn (Gloucestershire).
