Josh Murphy fulfils Portsmouth expectations after what he did v Leeds United
Josh Murphy has been a shining light for Portsmouth this season and his performance against Leeds United was no different.
Fratton Park welcomed league leaders Leeds in what ended up as an impressive 1-0 win for Pompey after Colby Bishop scored in the second half.
Murphy started and played in the entirety of the Championship clash on Sunday and helped his team earn a vital three points in a game that may have already secured their spot in the second tier next season.
Murphy proves why Portsmouth brought him in from Oxford
Of all Mousinho’s men this season, Murphy has been a stand-out performer.
The attacker has made the left-wing spot his own and is often one of the first names on Pompey’s teamsheet.
As per Sofascore, in the 90 minutes the attacker played against the West Yorkshire outfit, he had 50 touches of the ball and maintained a pass accuracy of 81 per cent.
Of the 17 accurate passes he made, two were deemed to be key with 80 per cent of his long balls also making it to their intended targets.
| Team | Position | Points |
| Portsmouth | 17th | 42 |
| Oxford United | 18th | 39 |
| Hull City | 19th | 37 |
| Stoke City | 20th | 36 |
| Cardiff City | 21st | 36 |
| Derby County | 22nd | 32 |
The two shots he had in the game were off target but his passing more than made up for his shooting.
Defensively, Murphy was also solid with the attacker winning 75 per cent of his ground duels and 50 per cent of those in the air.
Granted, he may have lost possession of the ball 14 times throughout the clash but when you’re as involved as he was, there’s bound to be some times when the ball gets away from you.
Murphy could be key to keeping Portsmouth in the Championship
Portsmouth now have a 10-point gap between themselves and the drop zone which is an impressive feat, considering where they were a month or so ago.
They’ve also won four of their last five Championship clashes and with 10 games left in the season, they’re well on course to ensuring their survival.
As mentioned, Murphy has been one of Pompey’s best players and without him this term, they’d likely be much worse off than they currently find themselves.
Indeed, only time will tell what the future holds for Mousinho and his men but as long as they can keep players such as Murphy fit, they should be able to keep their place in the Championship next season.