'Sloppy' - Portsmouth star blasted by former Southampton striker after Sunderland defeat
Portsmouth fell to a narrow defeat at Championship rivals Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack was blasted for a ‘sloppy’ moment that led to his red card in Sunday’s defeat at Championship promotion contenders Sunderland.
John Mourinho’s men were also going to find themselves up against it in the North East as they looked to boost their bid to avoid relegation by becoming the first visiting side to collect all three points from a visit to the Stadium of Light this season. It was the Black Cats that edged themselves in front with just eight minutes on the clock as in-form forward Wilson Isidor beat the offside trap before producing a neat finish beyond the helpless Nicolas Schmid.
Pompey improved as the game wore on as the likes of Josh Murphy and Colby Bishop both had good opportunities to grab an equaliser either side of half-time. However, the game swung further in favour of the hosts midway through the second-half when Isidor punished some hesitant defending by Pack and forced the Pompey captain to drag him down as he made his way in on goal. Referee Thomas Bramall wasted little time in showing a red card to Pack and former Southampton striker Iain Dowie, who as on co-commentary duties for Sky Sports, believes the Pompey man only has himself to blame for the part he played in his side’s defeat on Wearside.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s sloppy to give the ball away and then there’s not much he (Pack) can do. He’s not going to catch Isidor and it’s now a rejig for Mousinho. It’s the last thing he needed with 30 minutes to go but it really is his own fault and he’s got to deal with it better than that. He shouldn’t let it come across his body, not there. In midfield, that would be fine, but not as a centre-back. I think it’s soft and he goes down quickly but he does reach for his shirt and he knows it. He’s not had the best of afternoons.
“In midfield, you get away with it because there’s the backline. Marlon Pack is blessed with a lot of things he does brilliantly well but one of them is not having blistering pace. He’s not going to catch Isidor and Isidor doesn’t need lots of contact to go down because that’s what he feels. That’s what’s happened.”
Pompey are back in action on Friday night when they visit League One title contenders Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup third round.