Sky Sports pundit makes honest Portsmouth and Minhyeok Yang assessment after Blues topple Middlesbrough
Pompey claimed a 1-0 win over Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.
Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith has praised Pompey’s gritty performance after ending Middlesbrough’s unbeaten start to the Championship on Saturday.
And the former Lioness has lauded Minhyeok Yang for his impact after continuing his fine form in front of goal.
Despite continuous pressure throughout the second half from Rob Edwards’ side, who went into the contest as one of two unbeaten teams in the league, Pompey were able to hold on through a fabulous defensive display.
For Yang, his strike represented his second goal in two games, having netted the opener against Watford on Wednesday.
And after impressive back-to-back displays, Smith has heaped the praise on the 19-year-old Spurs talent for injecting quality into a game which presented very little chances.
Sky Sports pundit makes exciting Pompey claim
Speaking on Soccer Saturday, the 45-year-old said: ‘There was a real lack of quality in the final third really from both sides. They were getting themselves into decent positions but Yang, with the only goal.
‘It was a really decent finish. A delivery from the left-hand side then goes to (Jordan) Williams on the right, he then picks out Yang, who hits a first-time finish.
‘ He actually looked really lively, I watched him midweek and he looked bright then. He showed that little bit of quality today.
‘Portsmouth have really struggled with injuries this season, they’ve missed Callum Lang and Josh Murphy. You’re going to miss that quality.
‘From a Boro perspective, they had plenty of possession, they had shots but couldn’t test the goalkeeper. Portsmouth defended very, very well but it was that real lack of quality in the final third.’
It was a much-needed victory for Pompey, who - after a bright start to the season - had failed to win any of their previous four games heading into the contest.
That had seen the Blues slip down the table in recent weeks after defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town along with draws to Southampton and Watford.
John Mousinho hails ‘brilliant’ Blues
Nonetheless, Mousinho’s men now head into the second international break of the campaign on a high after ending Boro’s unbeaten start.
He told The News: ‘Maybe because it’s early in the season, but I feel this performance has been coming. It feels brilliant.
‘It feels brilliant, but who knows how high it’s going to rank eventually? I guess there’s shades of the Leeds game, when Leeds were top of the league. I guess that was a bit later in the season, when the relegation pressure was more on then.
‘I, in a perverse way, enjoyed the afternoon and in another way hated it, because it was so stressful but it was a very, very important win for us.’