SOCCER/Portsmouth 1 Manchester United 1:An evening of seeming security turned into another damaging visit to Fratton Park for Manchester United. No sooner had Portsmouth's Sulley Muntari been sent off for a second yellow card in the 83rd minute, following a foul on Michael Carrick, than Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed for the visitors, after seeming to butt the substitute Richard Hughes.
Such events make garish news, but United will dwell on lost points more than depleted personnel. They had seemed certain to win here as Carlos Tevez made what promised to be a happy debut. The former West Ham player, in particular, would have been relishing his loan deal, never dreaming how Portsmouth would so passionately revive themselves.
The statisticians will put Tevez down for an assist 15 minutes into his active service for the club, but he is more likely to reflect on how spectacularly team-mates such as these can capitalise on the simplest pass. Under no pressure from Portsmouth the Argentinian laid the ball back and Paul Scholes scored with a powerful yet exact drive from the fringes of the penalty area.
This game had been incident-free until then, but there could have been queasiness in the home team before the game had even started. Of their expected back four, Sol Campbell pulled out because of a groin strain and Lauren also had to withdraw after hurting his ankle in training. The consequence was that Portsmouth looked inhibited.
David Nugent was the one outright striker, but a conservative formation could not forestall an early breakthrough by the visitors. Though Benjani Mwaruwari and John Utaka were intended to burst forward on the flanks, United initially had spells in which their passing made Harry Redknapp's men retreat to regroup.
It was not all that eventful a match at that stage. Tevez, the deluxe deputy while Wayne Rooney's broken foot heals, caused tremors of anxiety in Portsmouth's defence. His reputation was the cause of most apprehension, but when David James spilled a Ronaldo shot 10 minutes from the interval the forward looked for a moment as if he would walk the ball into the net. A recovery by the goalkeeper, though, forced him away from the target.
This, before the interval, had turned into a fast yet relatively uneventful contest. There was no sign of a bloodline with the three fixtures that Alex Ferguson's team have lost at Fratton Park in the last four seasons. Holding the advantage, United could afford to be careful and Nani, on his first start, might have asked what had happened to the style of legend.
Still there was satisfaction then, following the anti-climactic and goalless opening to the season against Reading, in the tidings that Steve Coppell's side had gone in front against Chelsea. United were secure as half-time approached, with the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, all but superfluous. Portsmouth were mustering no more than an energetic and unfulfilled wish to get the best out of the expensive newcomers Utaka and Muntari.
The onus was on Redknapp to aid Nugent, whose task as a forward estranged from the rest of the line-up was too onerous. The plan had been to have men such as Benjani rushing through to link with him, but there were too many layers of United wisdom in midfield to allow that.
The Portsmouth manager recast his line-up and the impact was startling. With 53 minutes gone, Matthew Taylor, introduced at left-back, crossed for an unmarked Benjani, pushed up in aid of Nugent, to head past Van der Sar.
The impression until the equaliser was of United starting to enjoy themselves. When Scholes, for instance, put Tevez in behind the right of Portsmouth's defence it took the outstretched leg of James to prevent a goal. There was another opening after a clearance had been struck straight to Scholes but Tevez's attempt went high.
The fixture had come to resemble its predecessors on this ground. The comfort for United lay in the openings that accumulated. Their frustrations were bound up with an inability to capitalise. United must have been developing a nostalgia for a first half that had promised a tranquil win.
PORTSMOUTH:James, Pamarot (Hughes 64), Cranie (Traore 46), Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Pedro Mendes (Taylor 46), Davis, Muntari, Mwaruwari, Nugent. Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Kanu. Sent Off: Muntari (83). Booked: Muntari, Davis. Goals: Mwaruwari 53.
MAN UTD:Van der Sar, Brown (Eagles 88), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Giggs (O'Shea 81), Tevez. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Pique, Fletcher. Sent Off: Ronaldo (85). Booked: Vidic. Goals: Scholes 15.
Referee:Steve Bennett (Kent).
