Soccer

Portsmouth continue to impress

Wigan 0 Portsmouth 2: Pompey secured their fourth successive league win at the JJB Stadium

Sat Oct 20 2007 - 01:00

Wigan 0 Portsmouth 2:Pompey secured their fourth successive league win at the JJB Stadium. Benjani Mwaruwari and Glen Johnson fired home in the last 10 minutes of a forgettable encounter as Wigan boss Chris Hutchings saw his side stretch their goalless streak beyond five hours.

Wigan made a promising start when Michael Brown flung a long free kick into the box which was knocked across goal by Andreas Granqvist and Scharner shaved the woodwork with a diving header.

But it was not hard to see why Wigan had such a poor recent record in front of goal with Portsmouth looking the liveliest in the final third, Benjani denied a clear chance after being flagged marginally offside.

Niko Kranjcar's long-range effort flashed well wide for Pompey and a flick header in the box from Wigan's Antoine Sibierski also sailed the wrong side of the post as both sets of strikers struggled to assert themselves.

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In an all too brief interlude of Wigan pressure, Marcus Bent - their most recent scorer against Reading last month -0 burst down the right flank in the 39th minute but his shot from a tight angle found the side netting.

Nigerian Julius Aghahowa provided some brief entertainment after replacing Sibierski in the 51st minute. Before even touching the ball he had clattered Sol Campbell and earned a yellow card from referee Peter Walton.

Pompey pressed through Kranjcar, who played in Benjani for a shot which deflected high over the bar, before Campbell came close to connecting with the Croatian's resulting corner in front of goal..

That moment duly arrived nine minutes from time when Benjani converted the simplest of chances to grab his seventh goal of the season as he poked home a perfect Muntari cross.

Aghahowa tried his best to make a belated good impression when he cut into the right side of the visitors' box only to be hustled off his shot by Sylvain Distin in the Pompey defence.

But Johnson wrapped up victory when he was allowed to roam unchallenged across the Latics penalty box before drilling a low shot past Chris Kirkland into the corner of the net.