Portsmouth 2, Peterborough United 2: Excellent point for depleted Posh at Portsmouth

Mo Eisa’s headed equaliser 17 minutes from time secured a 2-2 draw for a side missing several first-team regulars including talisman Marcus Maddison.

Ivan Toney had put Posh ahead on seven minutes, but Pompey looked to have taken control through goals from Lee Brown on 26 minutes and Ellis Harrison on 53 minutes, the latter following a mistake from goalkeeper Christy Pym.

The draw was a fair result from a stop-start game with John Marquis missing a great chance to score for Pompey at the start of the second-half after Posh centre-back Frankie Kent had been thwarted by home ‘keeper Craig MacGillivray.

Toney opened the scoring after home centre-back Oli Hawkins had badly sliced a Dan Butler cross.

Brown equalised from a Brown free-kick from 20 yards following a foul by Louis Reed and Harrison put Pompey ahead when his shot from 16 yards squirmed through Pym’s hands.

Eisa saved the day though as Posh halted Pompey’s six-game winning streak.

MATCH FACTS

Posh: Christy Pym, Niall Mason (Sub Serhat Tasdemir, 63 mins), Mark Beevers, Frankie Kent, Nathan Thompson, Dan Butler, Alex Woodyard, Louis Reed, Idris Kanu, Ivan Toney, Mo Eisa (sub Ricky-Jade Jones, 89 mins).

Unused substitutes: Aaron Chapman, Rhys Bennett, Harrison Burrows, Sam Cartwright, Kyle Barker.

Portsmouth: Craig MacGillvray, Lee Brown, Brendan Haustrap (sub Ross McCrorie, 90 + 1 mins), Tom Naylor, Christian Burgess, Ryan Williams (sub Marcus Harness, 74 mins), Ellis Harrison, Ben Close, Oli Hawkins, John Marquis, Ronan Curtis.

Unused substitutes: Alex Bass, Anton Walkes, Paul Downing, Brett Pitman, Gareth Evans.

Goals; Posh - Toney (9 mins), Eisa (74 mins).

Pompey - Brown (26 mins), Harrison (53 mins).

Cautions: Posh - Thompson (foul), Woodyard (foul), Eisa (unsportsmanlike conduct).

Pompey - Brown (foul), Burgess (unsportsmanlike conduct), Harrison (foul).

Referee: Charles Breakspear 6

Attendance: 17,643 (531 Posh).

HOW THE GAME UNFOLDED

94: Harness robs Butler but crosses out of play. And that’s a wrap, a fine point for Posh.

90: Good block Beevers as Curtis shoots from 20 yards.

90: Five minutes added.

86: Posh dither at the back. Harrison nips in, his poke at goal hits Pym.

POSH ARE BACK ON LEVEL TERMS

75: Curtis heads wide from a corner.

73 mins GOAAL EISAAAA. Fine Posh move Thompson to Reed to Butler fine cross Eisa is unmarked and heads home from close range.

FERGIE TURNS TO HIS BENCH

71 mins; Tasdemir to Kanu shot blocked.

Pompey ballboys appear to have been stood down. Eisa runs to fetch the ball. Referee Breakspear in his own little world, chatting away, strolling around.

69: Williams shoots wide from 20 yards.

68: Thompson finally picks up a caution that has seemed inevitable for a while.

66: Brown booked for foul on edge of area. Wide. Reed crosses too deep now a Posh throw.

65: Posh break well. Tasdemir to Eisa to Kanu low cross cleared.

64: Posh now deploying a midfield diamond. Tasdemir on the left of it, Woodyard the right.

62: Tasdemir for Mason. Change of shape coming.

SECOND-HALF AND POSH FALL BEHIND

59: Not sure how Thompson has survived being cautioned here. Committed numerous fouls.

57: Posh have responded well to falling behind. Thompson with the shot that’s saved low down.

54: Soft free kick number 35 for Pompey as Marquis runs into Thompson.

54: Half a chance Toney from corner but he skies shot.

54: Burgess booked for being a silly after Posh win their first corner.

53: Harrison collects ball on the edge of the area. Shoots low and ball slips through Pym’s grasp and dribbles over the line.

53 2-1 Pompey. Pym should have saved it,

51: Woodyard is okay after a three-minute delay.

48: Posh lose the ball up the pitch, quick break, Mason clears, Harrison pounces, but Posh make a block. Woodyard is down.

46: What a chance for Marquis who gets behind Beevers and fluffs his shot, Pym saves

Pompey get us under way for the second-half.

FIRST-HALF REPORT

Ivan Toney bagged his third goal in two visits to Fratton Park as depleted Posh took a ninth minute lead at in-form Portsmouth.

Toney slid the ball home from close range after Dan Butler’s left-wing cross has been sliced backwards by home centre-back Oli Hawkins.

It was just the start a Posh side missing talisman Marcus Maddison and numerous other regular starters wanted.

Pompey were chasing a seventh straight win in all competitions, but struggled to string passes together in a game punctuated by numerous free kicks.

And it was a set-piece that delivered Pompey’s equaliser in the 26th minute after Louis Reed had been harshly adjudged to have fouled an opponent on the edge of his own area.

Lee Brown stepped up and drilled the ball low and hard through the wall and past Posh ‘keeper Christy Pym.

Posh should have gone back in front within three minutes after a free-kick travelled all the way to the far post to Frankie Kent. The centre-back -one of three deployed in a change of formation for Posh - worked space for his shot well, but placed the ball too close to home ‘keeper Craig MacGillivray who made the save.

POOR QUALITY

2 mins added time. Ball has probably been in play for about 20 minutes

45 Now ref lecturing Kanu and a home player. zzzzz

44 Eisa cautioned no idea why. Probably delaying the restart. No Pompey player cautioned yet despite lots of fouling.

43: Great work Kanu, digs a cross out which Thompson does well to reach, but can only poke at the keeper.

41 Quick Pompey break ruined by poor Williams cross which Pym catches.

40: Butler has been excellent so far. Fine cross Burgess clears for throw-in.

36: As I say that Curtis cross Kent clears, Williams fires low from 20 yards and Pym saves.

35: It’s a poor old game. Too many free kicks. Pompey not playing like a teacm chasing a seventh straight win.

34: Thompson fouls Curtis who goes down holding his face. No caution.

ALL SQUARE AS POMPEY EQUALISE

29 Free kick and a corner defended by Posh, eventually

28 Great chance for Kent after free kick reaches him at the far post. Shoots too close to the keeper who parries.

26 Fergie spoken to by ref, presumably about his free kick decision that led to Pompey goal.

25 1-1 Free kick on edge of area for Pompey. Reed with the allaged foul. Brown drives it in low.

HALFWAY THROUGH THE FIRST HALF AND POSH LEAD

24 Marquis plays behind the striker in this 4-2-3-1 formation for Pompey.

22 Harrison crosses to no-one Beevers clears straight to Williams whose shot is weak and saved. Poor fayre all round

20 Pompey seeing a lot of the ball now. Posh defending well, especially former Pompey man Butler.

18 Thompson getting booed by his former club’s fans.

17 Pompey want a penalty as Kent tangles with Curtis, nothing doing

16 mins: Fergie spoke before this game about managing the first 15 minutes. He will be delighted with this start.

POSH IN FRONT EARLY

12 mins: Free kick Pompey cleared.

10 mins: GOOAAL Toney scores at far post after Butler’s cross is sliced backwards by home centre-back Oli Hawkins

8 mins: Foul by Burgess on Toney. 35 yards out. Reed floats the free kick out of play.

6 mins: Free kick Pompey. Foul by Beevers on Curtis. 25 yards out, central, dangerous. Curtis fires into wall, twice.

4 mins: Posh have started on the front foot. Maybe formation has surprised Pompey. Kanu to Butler, good cross, cleared.

1 min: Woodyard cautioned for a late tackle. Deservedly so. Got to survive 90 minutes with red card king Charles Breakspear reffing. Not ideal.

Among those missing is Marcus Maddison who is sick. George Boyd, Josh Knight, Siriki Dembele, Joe Ward and Frazer Blake-Tracy are all injured.

It’s thought Posh are playing three centre-backs with Niall Mason slotting in alongside Mark Beevers and Frankie Kent. Former Pompey pair Nathan Thompson and Dan Butler are the wing-backs with Idris Kanu playing behind strikers Ivan Toney and Mo Eisa.

Ex-Posh centre-back Christian Burgess is in the Pompey starting line-up.