Yengi ‘faces spell out of Portsmouth side’ after what happened at Fratton Park
Matt Ritchie was brought back into the team by John Mousinho as Portsmouth beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 on Saturday.
The wideman was an unused substitute when Mousinho’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat at Preston on 15 March.
But after the international break, he was brought back into the Pompey side and played his part in a crucial win over Blackburn.
Josh Murphy scored the only goal of the game as Portsmouth established a seven-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
Ritchie replaces injured Kusini Yengi v Blackburn
In their defeat at Preston, Pompey opted to leave Ritchie on the bench as Yengi started in attack alongside Josh Murphy, Colby Bishop and Adil Aouchiche.
But Ritchie replaced the injured Yengi when Mousinho’s men got the better of Blackburn at Fratton Park on 29 March.
The former Bournemouth and Newcastle man lasted 67 minutes before making way for defender Jordan Williams, who helped the Hampshire outfit see out their win.
Ritchie should remain in the Portsmouth team
While Ritchie replaced Yengi in the Pompey lineup due to the forward’s injury, he should now retain his spot in Mousinho’s starting 11.
| Matt Ritchie stats | 2024/25 Championship |
| Appearances | 33 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 0 |
When the 35-year-old was absent from the Portsmouth team ahead of the international break, they threw away a valuable point on the road as they conceded to North End in the 87th minute to lose 2-1.
But when Ritchie was back in the frame for Pompey, the men from Fratton Park managed to enjoy a vital victory over Blackburn, which has all but secured their Championship status ahead of next season.
Furthermore, the veteran was also named in Mousinho’s lineup when his side enjoyed a 1-0 win over automatic promotion challengers Leeds United on Sunday 9 March.
Ritchie scored when he started the game against QPR last month, helping his side claim an important 2-1 win over Marti Cifuentes’ men.
His experience and ability will be crucial to Portsmouth as they look to enjoy a comfortable end to the season, and he deserves to remain in the team over Yengi.
Mousinho surely recognises that, and it is why Ritchie now deserves to retain his place over Yengi when the latter is back fit.