Plucky Portsmouth set up FA Cup Final with Chelsea
If there’s one thing which Harry Redknapp should know by now, after six decades in the game, it’s that football and sub-plots have an uncanny habit of coming together in unison.
But even the former Portsmouth manager watched on bemused at what was unfolding in front of his eyes from the Wembley dugout late yesterday afternoon. His Tottenham side had arrived into this match as overwhelming favourites to progress to the FA Cup Final, but the already relegated and financially crippled Pompey were h**l-bent on giving their fans something to cheer about.
Inspired by their loyal, passionate, but tortured supporters, the Fratton Park outfit stunned their opponents and the whole of English football yesterday to, incredibly, reach the final of this year’s FA Cup with an improbable 2-0 victory against Spurs.
Not even the most optimistic Portsmouth fan would have dared to pre-empt this result. After all, the 2009/10 season has been the most traumatic in the club’s 112-year history. Managerial casualties, winding-up orders, and an injury list so long you’d struggle to write it on the back of the stacked up lawyer’s papers on the chief executive’s desk – Pompey were due a break at some point.
This latest achievement must rank alongside the most outstanding in the cup’s long and proud existence. Avram Grant, the man responsible for masterminding Pompey’s second FA Cup Final appearance in the space of 24 months, has received his reward for remaining loyal to the cause and fighting the club’s corner in their hour of need.
The former Chelsea manager will surely be in contention for the Manager of the Year accolade, and must land the award if he can find a way to overcome his former club in next month’s final. Another football sub-plot? Surely they can’t actually go on and win the thing, can they?
Tottenham will be blaming the sub-standard Wembley playing surface, cursing the match officials for ruling out Peter Crouch’s goal and ruing a whole host of spurned opportunities this morning. But the fabled “magic” of the FA Cup was clearly in full force yesterday. Redknapp was powerless to do anything.
Frederic Piquionne and former Tottenham flop Kevin-Prince Boateng, wrote their names into Portsmouth folklore with their extra-time goals in to ensure another big pay day for the cash-strapped south-coast club on May 15th. Even more importantly than that, though, Portsmouth now have a golden chance to lift the FA Cup for the third time in their history, during the most troublesome of seasons.
However, it will be no mean feat. To do so, they will have to overcome the relentlessly efficient Chelsea. Having reached their third FA Cup final in the space of four years on Saturday afternoon, Carlo Ancelotti’s men understand exactly what they have to do to lift their sixth FA Cup trophy.
Following this unlikely FA Cup semi-final victory, Pompey will arrive at Wembley next month assuming the role of David versus Goliath, rather than mere lambs to the slaughter. With the backing of not only their vocal fans, but also the majority of supporters from other clubs across the land – yes, we know, not you, Saints’ followers – hoisting the severed head of the slain beast next month isn’t beyond the realms of possibility for this Portsmouth side.
Intact with the neutral’s support and complete with the plucky underdog tag, romantics of the beautiful game will be hoping it’s written in the stars. But Chelsea have proven themselves as FA Cup specialists in recent years. Portsmouth’s next challenge could hardly be tougher.
The Blues saw off the challenge of Aston Villa a day previously at Wembley in typically comprehensive fashion. Rarely out of control throughout the 90 minutes, three second-half goals from Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard sealed their place in next month’s final.
The jubilant scenes from the Chelsea squad and fans paled into comparison to those of Portsmouth’s. They’ve been there, done it, and won the medals to prove it on more than one occasion.
Aston Villa manager, Martin O’Neill, blasted referee Howard Webb for failing to give a penalty in the first-half of Saturday’s semi-final. Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel appeared to bundle Gabriel Agbonlahor to the ground, and the whole stadium expected to see Webb point to the spot - but the south Yorkshire match official waved play on instead. O’Neill and Villa were left incensed.
Following February’s League Cup Final, where a contentious refereeing decision arguably cost O’Neill’s side victory against Manchester United, this latest incident was enough to leave the Irishman on the verge of a hefty fine for suggesting that referees favour the bigger clubs.
His frustrations were understandable, and perhaps the match would have reached an altogether different conclusion had the foul been given. In the end, though, Chelsea’s strength told. Villa were distinctly second-best from then on in and rarely threatened Petr Cech’s goal.
Attentions will now turn to next month’s showpiece final at Wembley, and getting a decent playing surface down will be the first port of call for the organisers.
This year’s final has the feel of a potential classic. Portsmouth have come too far not to play their part; and having already been relegated, they have nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, Chelsea have their sights set on the double, and Ancelotti won’t be prepared to sacrifice anything in the name of football romanticism.
The Italian knows all about cup finals. He was, of course, the man in charge of AC Milan on that fateful night in Istanbul when they allowed a three-goal lead slip against a possessed Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League Final.
This year’s FA Cup Final already has that half-time feel about it. It’s up to Portsmouth to come back out at Wembley next month, stand up and be counted, and cause one of the biggest cup final upsets of all time.
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