John Eustace claims Portsmouth are ‘excellent’ at one thing after Derby draw
Portsmouth fought back to seal a much-needed point against Derby County in dramatic scenes on Saturday afternoon.
Fratton Park played host to the 2-2 draw, with both Portsmouth and Derby nervously looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
Portsmouth had an unexpected hero bail them out though, as defender Rob Atkinson remarkably scored twice either side of an own goal to salvage a point late on.
John Mousinho’s side have impressed at times following their promotion back to the Championship, and Derby manager John Eustace has now praised them.
Eustace praises Portsmouth crossing after Derby draw
It was a dramatic draw at Fratton Park, and Eustace has praised his side, while also highlighting Portsmouth’s strengths.
“Portsmouth make the game very hectic,” he told Derby after the game.
| Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Conceded | Points | Position |
| Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 50 | 66 | 46 | 19th |
“They put a lot of long balls forward, pick up a lot of second balls, sustain attacks and put crosses in the box, which they’re excellent at.
“Overall, apart from a couple of times, I was really pleased with the way we defended against them.”
Aerial balls bail out Portsmouth v Derby
Portsmouth fell behind twice to Derby, but responded well each time, with Atkinson to thank as he scored two well-timed headers.
His first header was outstanding, as he glanced on at the near post to find the bottom corner from Josh Murphy’s cross.
Atkinson’s second came from a long ball by goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid in the dying minutes, with the centre-back rising highest to place the header beyond everyone.
Portsmouth’s strength in the air against Derby was on full display as their aerial balls were threatening throughout, and Atkinson’s return from injury clearly paid off as he came up with the decisive headers.
Pompey are still three points ahead of Derby in the Championship, and both teams have just four games to remain above Cardiff City in 22nd place to secure safety in the division.
Portsmouth’s poor recent run has allowed Derby to come close to catching them, but Eustace would have leapfrogged Mousinho had it not been for Atkinson’s late equaliser.