Portsmouth earn late draw at Norwich to boost survival hopes

Portsmouth put a desperate run of form behind them to boost their hopes of Championship survival with a gritty 1-1 draw at an in-form Norwich side.

An 84th-minute own goal from Pelle Mattsson earned the visitors a precious point after the same player had also opened the scoring for the Canaries midway through the opening half.

The late leveller was no more than Pompey deserved after taking a single point from their previous six games, while it ended a superb home run from Norwich, who had won their previous seven matches at Carrow Road.

After a scrappy start, Norwich gradually began to take control and Mathias Kvistgaarden was unlucky when his audacious scissor kick from Paris Maghoma’s header back into the danger area was deflected just wide.

However, the hosts did not have to wait long for the opener, with Mattsson firing home his second goal in successive games after 26 minutes.

A ball into the box should have been dealt with by Pompey but Madiodio Dia’s clearance was a poor one and fell nicely for the Danish midfielder, who took a couple of paces forward before planting his shot firmly into the bottom corner.

Portsmouth continued to make a match of it as the half progressed and almost equalised on the half-hour mark when Marlon Pack’s in-swinging corner hit the upright, prompting a hectic goalmouth scramble which eventually ended with the Canaries hacking the ball clear.

The visitors continued their fight for an equaliser after the break but struggled to create any chances of note, while Norwich seemed content to quietly manage the game.

The first attempt on goal of a dull second period did not arrive until the 81st minute, with Mattsson sending a looping header just wide.

However, it was Pompey who grabbed the second goal of the game three minutes later.

Andre Dozzell’s free-kick from the left was flicked on by Colby Bishop with Mattsson, under pressure from Regan Poole, diverting the ball into his own net.

Ali Ahmed fired a volley straight at Nicholas Schmid as Norwich sought a response but the visitors held on for a deserved point.