The single quality which delighted Pompey boss in huge Blackburn win
The single quality which delighted Pompey boss in huge Blackburn win
John Mousinho saluted the professionalism of his Pompey battlers as they grafted to a huge and hard-earned Blackburn Rovers win.
The Blues boss felt his men showed the qualities missing, as they failed to see out a draw at Preston before the international break.
Josh Murphy got the only goal of the game at Fratton Park, as Mousinho’s men put in a high-tempo first-half performance.
Pompey got ragged and more disjointed after the break, however, with a big survival three points at stake.
Even so, they saw the game out with relative ease, with the visitors unable to carve out much in the way of clearcut chances.
Mousinho felt there it was all about the result on this occasion, with his team doing what was needed to get the three points over the line.
He said: ‘We started the game right on the front foot and won the ball back high up with the press.
‘We got the goal which I thought was deserved, but towards the back end of the first half I think the goal affected the performance.
‘We dropped off slightly and didn’t quite have the same intensity, which maybe naturally happens with the position we’re in.
‘We started the second half like we finished the first, lacking a bit of energy and were deep, possibly worried by the threat in behind.
‘But we dealt with it and that was the most important thing.
‘We were stood talking a couple of weeks ago about mistakes and not being professional.
‘But we had the right levels of professionalism to see the game out, and when we made mistakes in the second half we didn’t compound them – and bailed each other out.
‘We dealt with those moments better, but needed to control the game better in the second half.’
Although seeing deficiencies in Pompey’s performance, Mousinho noted Blackburn didn’t create much in their efforts to get back into the game after falling behind.
And the Blues head coach was also pleased with how his side dealt with the physical threat the visitors offered.
Mousinho added: ‘They had a couple of chances from set-pieces and they are a big side.
‘They are a big side so physicality was something we had to cope with, which we did for the most part.
‘There wasn’t a huge amount to deal with in terms of clearcut chances, but we didn’t create much either but we had the lead – and that was all we needed.’
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