Portsmouth - 1 Aston Villa - 1: If Portsmouth supporters had any doubts that this is set to be a season of struggle they were dispelled last night. For 80 minutes their team faced an Aston Villa side down to 10 men but still managed only a draw. The first point of the campaign may have been secured but it was hardly worth celebrating.
Pompey's desperate need for a striker and more creativity was plain as they struggled to break down a Villa side who defended well after Nol Solano's red card, led by Gareth Barry and Olof Mellberg. Much depends on whether Alain Perrin can find the right striker and attacking midfielder he is looking for.
It has been a summer of massive change at Fratton Park, with eight players brought in so far, two more being sought and 10 gone. The fans wanted proof that, after defeats to Tottenham and West Bromwich Albion, the squad will quickly gel.
They must have felt their luck was in when, after only 10 minutes, Solano was sent off. Portsmouth had made a moderate start, wasting one chance to score, but this seemed to signal a change in fortune. What followed stunned everyone.
Villa had won a free-kick despite Solano's dismissal because the Peruvian was tugged back by Richard Hughes before he swung an arm into the midfielder's face in seeking to free himself.
To Solano's shock, Graham Poll showed a red card.
That emotion was shared when Villa scored from the set-piece.
Hughes's concentration may have been affected by the blow he got because he was at fault. Barry floated a free-kick towards him and Kevin Phillips, and it was unclear which of their heads the ball flicked off to beat Sander Westerveld.
Phillips, booed as a former Southampton player, will be happy to claim it. After the arrival earlier in the day of Milan Baros, a £6.5 milllion signing from Liverpool, he and Juan Pablo Angel must have been keen to catch the eye of David O'Leary.
Phillips was not given much longer to impress, being replaced by Ulises de la Cruz in a tactical switch designed to stiffen Villa's right flank, where Portsmouth had been making some headway. Not surprisingly, the home team were dominating with an extra man but their play was spasmodic and there was no sense that an equaliser was inevitable.
Their best hope lay in the surges of Laurent Robert and Lomana LuaLua but, at various moments, the team's quality of cross or seeming lack of killer presence in the penalty area were problems. Though LuaLua volleyed into the sidenetting from a cross by John Viafara, Thomas Sorensen was largely untroubled.
It took a special goal by LuaLua to beat him.
Collecting a knockdown by the hitherto anonymous Azar Karadas, the forward burst inside Aaron Hughes and De la Cruz and curled a shot into the far corner.
Villa might instantly have regained the lead when Peter Whittingham hit the bar from a free-kick but they were also grateful that Robert sidefooted just wide before half-time.
Villa were fortunate not to fall behind as Portsmouth finally made openings.
Gary O'Neil ought to have scored from 10 yards from a Viafara cross but shot over and then Robert's low effort forced Sorensen to claw the ball wide.
Guardian Service
PORTSMOUTH: Westerveld, Priske, O'Brien, Stefanovic, Vignal, O'Neil (Todorov 76), Viafara, Hughes, Robert, LuaLua, Karadas (Pericard 83). Subs not used: Ashdown, Griffin, Skopelitis. Booked: Hughes, Viafara, LuaLua. Goal: LuaLua 42.
ASTON VILLA: Sorensen, Hughes, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Barry, Solano, McCann, Davis, Whittingham, Phillips (De la Cruz 37), Angel (Moore 74). Subs not used: Djemba-Djemba, Taylor, Cahill. Sent Off: Solano (11). Booked: Barry. Goal: Hughes 11 og.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
