'The way they play...' - Derby County boss assesses Portsmouth style after Fratton Park win

Derby County manager John Eustace praised Pompey for their approach during his side’s narrow win at Fratton Park on Monday night.

The Blues went into the game looking to boost their hopes of preserving their Championship status by securing a win that would have moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.

Although John Mousinho’s men created a number of half-chances across a tight and nervy 90 minutes, it was the Rams that landed a win that moved them to within three points of the play-off places and kept alive their hopes of reclaiming a place in the Premier League after a 19-year absence.

An early goal from Rams striker Sammie Szmodics proved to be the difference between the two sides as the Republic of Ireland international kept his cool from a corner-kick to produce a neat finish with just eight minutes on the clock.

Derby went close to doubling their advantage when Patrick Agyemang and Joe Ward hit the woodwork, while Pompey’s best chance fell to Millenic Alli as he forced Rams keeper Richard O’Donnell into a fine save that preserved his side’s clean sheet.

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Speaking after the win, the Rams boss said: ‘It was a hard-fought win, and the lads were excellent. They defended really well.

’We could have scored a couple more goals on the transition. I was disappointed that when we won the ball back at times, we didn't have more quality and make the right decision.

‘The scoreline could have been a bit more than that, but the way we defended was excellent. I'm very proud of the group.

I think the whole back four, the midfield and the two strikers - it was a real team effort, a squad effort.

‘The way they (Pompey) play, they build up from the back where it's hard to put pressure on and they put the ball in the box. The way we defended that was great.’

What did John Mousinho say about Portsmouth’s defeat against Derby County?

Mousinho told The News: “The performance on the whole was good, we are 90 per cent of the way there in terms of the way we are playing, in terms of the way we are dominating games. My assessment of the game is we are relentlessly getting onto the back line and getting into some very, very good areas. At that point, the decision-making deserts us, the quality deserts us. The cross comes into the box and we're not quite there or it ends up in the goalkeeper’s hands or we put it behind for a goal kick. We make poor decisions.

‘As we got more and more territory in the second half, we did too much of the same thing. We just didn’t threaten enough and the nature of how that is panning out is also quite frustrating. That, ultimately has been the issue for large parts of the season as well. There have been other games when we’ve managed to turn games like tonight into wins, home as well as away, and that’s where we have been.”

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