Spurs slip up to hand Pompey final date

Frederic Piquionne celebrates breaking the deadlock at Wembley

Goals from Frederic Piquionne and Kevin-Prince Boateng have seen Portsmouth progress to the FA Cup final after battling their way past an unfortunate Tottenham Hotspur side at Wembley.

In a game hyped as being a walkover for Harry Redknapp’s men, cash-strapped Portsmouth were more than their equals with numerous chances throughout the 90 minutes. Piquionne was the wasteful culprit the majority of the time, but Spurs ‘keeper Gomes was also on top form. Spurs had more than their fair share of chances too, with Peter Crouch and Tom Huddlestone coming closest.

With neither side able to break the stalemate in normal time, it took just 8 minutes of extra time for on-loan Lyon striker Piquionne to put Avram Grant’s side ahead. An untimely slip on the much talked about Wembley surface from Spurs’ skipper Michael Dawson presented Piquionne with the easiest of his chances, and for once Gomes was left helpless. In a last throw of the dice, Redknapp brought on Eidur Gudjohnsen, no stranger to Wembley occasions after his days with Chelsea. Gudjohnsen had little impact, and in a last attempt to push forward and find a last gasp equalizer, gaps were left wide open in the Tottenham defence, and Aruna Dindane was allowed to burst through only to be brought down in the penalty area by Wilson Palacios, who received a yellow card as a result of the challenge. Perhaps in a different scenario and with a less sympathetic referee, the colour may have been a different one. Kevin-Prince Boateng confidently stepped up against his old side, and dispatched the spot kick to Gomes’ right side. Game over.

These were two teams bristling with similarities on the field, with Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar all turning out against their former side, and with the aforementioned Boateng amongst the Portsmouth ranks, there was plenty of reason for niceties to be shared, both pre-match, and after the final whistle. Despite such obvious on-field comparisons, the two sides could be no different off the pitch, and nobody is ignorant to Pompey’s trials and tribulations behind the scenes this season. People talk about the romance of the FA Cup in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds, but no one can doubt that a little bit of that old adage rubbed off on the boys in blue today.

With Chelsea awaiting the winners of this tie in the final on the 15th May, it was written in the script somewhere, deep inside, that Avram Grant would be reunited with the club where he introduced himself to English football. Now, can he go one step further and produce the greatest cup story of recent times by leading relegated, depleted Portsmouth to FA Cup glory?

FA Cup semi-final preview

Injuries is the word of the day as Aston Villa, Chelsea, Portsmouth and Tottenham gear up for their respective FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley this weekend. Spurs are sweating on the fitness of influential centre-half Michael Dawson for their match with Portsmouth, while Martin O’Neill will have to make late calls on midfielder James Milner and central defender Richard Dunne for the re-run of Villa’s 7-1 drubbing at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Despite that result, Martin O’Neill insists his men are ready to set the record straight against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who are on course to do the double having taken a 2 point lead over Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. “Those players will want to make sure they don’t end up getting another result like that”, O’Neill told Soccernet.com. “It won’t be 7-1, that’s for sure, it’s going to be a close game”.

Villa have had a superb season under O’Neill but there is speculation that he will leave at the end of the season, with bigger names calling. Having narrowly lost out to Manchester United in the Carling Cup final back in February, O’Neill will be eager for victory this time. If Villa are to overcome the League leaders then Richard Dunne will need to be fit, as will Milner, and they’ll need every ounce of Emile Heskey to stay on his feet against Terry and co. Stopping Drogba and limiting Lampard will also be key, and the running of Ashley Young on the left side may play an influential role.

As for Chelsea, Ancelotti’s season can go either way. If they do end up as League Champions, as well as win the FA Cup, he’ll be deemed a huge success. However, if United pip them to the post and Villa complete their revenge mission on Saturday afternoon, questions over his future will inevitably be asked. It’s a thin line managing Chelsea these days, and Ancelotti will know just what is expected of him.

Daniel Sturridge is Chelsea’s leading goalscorer in this year’s competition, but he most probably won’t start. There is also doubt over who will start in goal, with Chelsea’s Cup ‘keeper Hilario struggling with a groin strain, with Branislav Ivanovic likely to return to the side after shaking off a knee injury.

Prepare for a close game between two counter-attacking sides, with perhaps extra time and penalties to follow.

George’s prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Chelsea – Chelsea to win on penalties

Tottenham go into their match with Portsmouth as strong favourites, but with nothing for Pompey to play for in the League they’ll be determined to go all the way in the Cup. Harry Redknapp has also stated that his side will be going all out to win the FA Cup, with their chances of finishing in 4th place not at all a certainty.

Spurs will be without Aaron Lennon, Vedran Corluka, Tom Huddlestone, Ledley King, Jermaine Jenas and Jonathan Woodgate for the tie, and there are also doubts over Michael Dawson’s fitness. 20-year old midfielder Jake Livermore is in line for a start, but not in his usual position. With Woodgate and King both out, and with Dawson unlikely to start, Livermore may be forced to partner Sebastien Bassong in the heart of the defence. Younes Kaboul and Kyle Walker will play no part either, as they are both cup-tied.

Avram Grant has no fresh injury worries ahead of Sunday’s game, with the only problems remaining off the field with new contract rows brewing. Grant will be fully focussed on on-the-field matters however, and one has to feel that if his side are to come away with a win, Aruna Dindane and Frederic Piquionne will be key. Experienced goalkeeper David James knows a thing or two about Cup ties as well, so a good performance from him is a necessity.

Spurs will look for the aerial prowess of former Pompey man Peter Crouch, while Jermain Defoe will look to reignite his early season spark. For me, it will only go one way, and that’s the way of Redknapp’s men. Ideally, they’d look for an early goal and not let Portsmouth settle in the game. Avram Grant will want a solid start, to not concede, and try and hit Spurs on the counter with the pace of the likes of Belhadj and Dindane.

George’s prediction: Tottenham 2-0 Portsmouth

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