Cardiff City have been beaten 2-1 by Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
The hosts took an early lead as Josh Murphy found Colby Bishop in the box, who slid the ball in between the legs of Will Fish and past Jak Alnwick.
Pompey added a second not long later. Murphy whipped in a cross as Conor Shaughnessy headed in from the corner to double the hosts lead.
The Bluebirds were given a life line as Callum O'Dowda met an Andy Rinomhota to half the deficit.
The second half proved a fairly boring affair, with City's biggest chance falling to Callum Robinson, who fired straight at the Pompey keeper from close range.
An uncomfortable evening to be a Bluebird.
Player Ratings:
Jak Alnwick (4) - First goal is a good finish, second he simply has to save. Made a couple of decent stops, but almost caught out three times for bizarre and hesitant decisions in and around the box. Far too many loose passes into touch.
Andy Rinomhota (6) - Was given a run around by Josh Murphy in the first twenty minutes. Settled down after that and a good cross for the goal.
Dimitrios Goutas (6) - Quite a few of lethargic actions, but ultimately saved Alnwick at the end with two goal line clearances. Saw a lot of the ball, varied success.
Will Fish (7) - Always seemed there at the final second for the pivotal block. Similar to Goutas on the ball.
Joel Bagan (6.5) - Just a pretty solid performance, really. Not involved a great deal defensively. Almost scored.
Calum Chambers (6) - Sloppy on the ball, rushing things far too often and just launching it aimlessly. Out of possession was decent.
Joe Ralls (5) - Not good enough on the ball. Put himself about but was fairly rash.
Sivert Mannsverk (6.5) - Continues to show glimpses of promise. Carried the ball well, and tidy in possession. City lost control when he departed the pitch, which probably says more about his influence on the game. Not a number ten though.
Cian Ashford (5) - Not good enough on the first. Struggled to get in the game. Should've scored, as well. A couple of decent runs down the line, but Ashford is a far better player than he showed tonight.
Callum O'Dowda (8) MOTM - In typical O'Dowda fashion, seemed to be the only one who understood the magnitude of the game. A brilliant header at the back post. Showed a lot of promise in the final third.
Callum Robinson (4.5) - Had three or four golden opportunities if he'd stayed onside. Chance at the end, he simply has to score. Struggled to have his usual effect on the game.
Subs:
Will Alves (6.5) - Another decent cameo where he looked to beat his man. Got in some decent areas, but no real result.
Rubin Colwill (6.5) - Came on in a difficult role, and held his own.
Yousef Salech (6) - Saw very little of the ball. Battled hard as usual.
Perry Ng (N/A)
Anwar El Ghazi (N/A)
Summary:
Simply not good enough. A strange squad selection where we couldn't afford to play it safe, we simply had to get at a Pompey side who were open, but when you give yourself a mountain to climb like that, night's like this are going to become more of a regular thing.
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