Manchester City 3 Portsmouth 1:IT IS difficult to know what will have been more pleasing for Sven-Goran Eriksson: the voluble demonstration of support he received from Manchester City's fans or the togetherness his players displayed in proving a point or two to the club's owner, Thaksin Shinawatra. Whichever way to look at it, Eriksson can reflect on a hugely satisfying day as he attempts to show his trigger-happy employer that he deserves better than to be paid off in the summer.
Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, will certainly want a vast improvement from his players if they are to extinguish Cardiff City's hopes in next month's FA Cup final. His team were two behind after 13 minutes and on both occasions the defending could be described as, at best, generous. Hermann Hreidarsson then got himself sent off after John Utaka's 24th-minute goal had thrown up the possibility of a comeback and, after that, City had so much space to exploit it was a surprise they had to wait so long before Benjani Mwaruwari settled the contest with 16 minutes to go.
Eriksson can point out that his side have now accumulated their highest-ever amount of points in a 38-game Premier League season. Another three points from their remaining three games and they will have surpassed their best over 42 games, from the 1992-93 season.
This victory was particularly impressive given that Eriksson had eight defenders unavailable through injury or illness and so deployed Elano, an attacking midfielder, at right-back. Richard Dunne joined the list of casualties early in the second half when he came off with a hamstring strain, to be replaced by an academy graduate, Sam Williamson. Yet City, for the most part, defended robustly, in particular when compared with some of the farcical goings-on in the opposition back-line.
The opening goal set the tone, Sol Campbell and David James leaving the ball to one another, encouraging Benjani to nip in between them. With the net hopelessly exposed, the ball was laid back for Stephen Ireland, who miscued his shot but succeeded in setting up Darius Vassell at the far post.
The inquest was still going on in the Portsmouth defence when, two minutes later, City went further ahead and, again, Campbell will grimace when he sees the replays. This time Elano's cross went through a congested penalty area to Martin Petrov.
The Bulgarian was on his weaker right foot and tried what, in the vernacular of the playground, used to be known as the "toe-poke", the ball flicking off the inside of Campbell's leg to beat James again.
Portsmouth's response was initially impressive, Utaka capitalising on some hesitant goalkeeping from Joe Hart to hook in Jermain Defoe's header. A comeback was conceivable but then Ireland released Vassell and Hreidarsson grappled his arm around the striker to impede his run. Whether Vassell would have got to the ball ahead of James is dubious, but the referee Andre Marriner was correct in rating it a professional foul.
