Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O’Neill fumes over controversial penalty decision in Portsmouth draw
Pompey were denied a crucial win against Blackburn Rovers after late heartbreak on Saturday afternoon.
Michael O’Neill has been left ‘disappointed’ after his Blackburn Rovers side weren’t awarded against Pompey on Saturday.
And the head coach praised his men for their ‘spirited’ comeback to salvage a stoppage-time point at Ewood Park.
Yuki Ohashi went down in the box after contact with Terry Devlin, but home appeals were comprehensively waved away by referee Tom Neild.
Michael O’Neill on Blackburn penalty decision v Pompey
And the official’s decision not to award Blackburn a penalty perplexed O’Neill, who insisted a spot kick should’ve been awarded.
He told Sky Sports after Saturday’s draw: ‘We have to be pleased with a point given you’re behind going into stoppage time. I thought we showed good character to keep going.
‘It was a difficult game I felt. We had the better chances in the game but, at times, our overall play was a little bit tense, a bit nervous. We needed to be better with the ball.
‘At times when we did show our quality, we saw the chances we did create in the game, particularly in the early part. We’re disappointed not to have a penalty awarded at 0-0.
‘The ball’s come across, there’s no contact on the ball from Terry and he just collides into the back of Yuki.
‘You can’t really play an advantage in that situation. I don’t think he did do that. The referee had a clear view of the incident and he didn’t give the penalty.
‘But there was no contact on the ball from the Portsmouth player. So yeah, we’re disappointed in that at obviously a crucial time in the game as well.”
‘I felt we limited them to very little in the game but equally we didn’t take care of the ball enough to get enough control in the game. But we showed good spirit and at times showed good quality to create the chances that we did. Ultimately, if you can’t win the game, the key is not to lose it.’
Blackburn boss praises ‘belief’ shown in Pompey draw
Pompey thought they’d snatch all three points at the death when Ogilvie fired Mousinho’s troops ahead on 84 minutes.
But Blackburn netted a stoppage-time equaliser through former Fratton loanee Hayden Carter to steal a point late into proceedings.
And O’Neill was delighted with his side’s application against the Blues and praised their ‘belief’ to grab a 93rd-minute leveller.
‘They're a good group of lads. Their application's been really good.
‘I think we are probably at a stage of the season where we're maybe a little bit finding it difficult to play. As well as that, I believe there's more ability maybe in the group in terms of what we show with the ball at times. So we have to try and address that.
‘It's difficult in these games. There's a lot at stake and it's a key time in the season. But having gone behind, it's a good point for us.
‘There are areas of our game where we're disappointed. They need more belief, because they're better players and at times it's what we showed today with the ball.
‘That's something that we have to get through. Then we have a game Wednesday against a team that's in the same area as us. We have to show that and we have to show a little bit more belief with the ball on Wednesday.’