Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough: Four times Pompey pulled off statement wins against Teessiders
Portsmouth welcome table-topping Middlesbrough to Fratton Park on Saturday and they’ll be underdogs against a team that remains unbeaten this season.
Pompey haven’t won in their last four games and they have a number of key players out injured, so it makes sense that Middlesbrough are heavy favourites to win.
Indeed, Middlesbrough also boast one of the meanest Championship defences, having already kept four clean sheets this season.
Pompey often thrive as underdogs though, and they have picked up memorable results from this position several times against Middlesbrough in the past.
Below, Pompey News reviews four occasions when Portsmouth have made statement wins against Middlesbrough.
Portsmouth 5 Middlesbrough 1 (15 May 2004)
This was the final game of Portsmouth’s first season in the Premier League.
Harry Redknapp’s side had been battling against relegation all season, only to pull themselves clear from danger with a late run of form.
It meant there was nothing to play for when Middlesbrough came to town, but Pompey made a statement by steamrolling over their opponents anyway.
Yakubu scored four goals in this game to sign off the season in style.
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Portsmouth 1 Middlesbrough 0 (15 April 2006)
Portsmouth were still in huge danger of being relegated from the Premier League when Middlesbrough came to Fratton Park in 2006.
However, this win by a single goal was enough to lift them out of the relegation zone for the first time in a few months. They’d remain outside the bottom three for the rest of the season.
Gary O’Neil scored the only goal of the game.
Middlesbrough 0 Portsmouth 4 (28 August 2006)
Despite Portsmouth’s win just four months earlier, they were still underdogs going into this early-season clash at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough had played in the UEFA Cup final in the prior season, and they had bought well in the summer.
Still, Portsmouth were keen to prove they wouldn’t be relegation candidates this time around, and they did exactly that by trouncing Boro 4-0 in their own backyard.
Kanu scored twice in this game, while Benjani and Svetoslav Todorov also got on the scoresheet.
Portsmouth 2 Middlesbrough 1 (18 January 2025)
Portsmouth were deep in relegation trouble when Middlesbrough visited for this fixture last season. John Mousinho’s side had hit a rough patch of form, and injuries were taking their toll.
They fell behind in this game too, and it would have been easy for the Pompey players to let their heads drop.
Instead, they rolled up their sleeves, took the game to their opponents and launched a comeback through two fantastic Matt Ritchie goals.
That result means Portsmouth can register back-to-back wins against Middlesbrough on Saturday for the first time since the aforementioned matches in 2006.
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