Terry Devlin’s stunning long-range strike gave Portsmouth a 3-1 win at Charlton, moving them four points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
The Northern Ireland full-back’s first goal of the night was ruled out as a goalkeeping error by Thomas Kaminski.
Colby Bishop doubled Pompey’s advantage on the break and Devlin added a superb third goal in front of the away support.
A 64th-minute goal from Charlton substitute Jayden Febriar was only a consolation as Portsmouth recorded their first league double against an opponent since the 1985-86 season.
Both clubs held a minute of applause before kick-off in memory of Addicks supporter Norman Barker, who died during the game on December 6, resulting in the game being called off after 12 minutes.
Charlton had a great chance to score soon after the start, but Portsmouth goalkeeper Nicholas Schmidt saved Harry Clarke’s attempt with his foot.
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A mistake by Thomas Kaminski allowed Terry Devlin to give Portsmouth the lead against Chartron.
That fast start was not sustained by the hosts as the visitors, missing 13 first-team players through injury, gained more control of the ball before the break.
Coach Kaminski will not want to look back on the 22nd minute opener. Devlin’s spinning, low shot from outside the area was caught between his legs, ending the home side’s hopes of a fourth successive clean sheet.
Things got even worse for the London club when referee Lee Doty, who issued six cautions in the first 45 minutes, ruled that it was Amari’i Bell who handled Gustavo Caballero’s cross inside the penalty area.
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Terry Devlin scored a screamer to make it 3-0 for Pompey.
Kaminsky was booked for protesting before Bishop put the spot-kick into the middle. It was the forward’s second league goal of the season and his first since August 23.
After John Swift played on the left side of the box, Zach Swanson meekly took a shot from another strong shooting position.
Charlton manager Nathan Jones made three changes before the restart, but Portsmouth took the lead further in the 56th minute when Devlin’s sensational shot from distance sailed into the top right corner.
Just after the hour mark, Fevrier fired a shot that narrowly missed Schmidt’s right upright.
The on-loan Stockport winger didn’t have to wait long to close the gap, with a brilliant flick-on from Lyndon Dykes’ long throw.
However, Charlton were unable to maintain their attacking momentum as Portsmouth defended tenaciously with the influence of centre-back Conor Ogilvie.
Milenic Ali’s pace caused problems at half-time, with the Portsmouth attacker driving from a narrow angle after being released by Ebou Adams’ pass in the 82nd minute.
managers
Charltons’ Nathan Jones:
“We didn’t play well tonight. We had a great chance in the first minute to set the tone for the night. We missed it and then we were physically dominated between both boxes.”
“You can moan about the goal. The first goal hit the goalkeeper. It shouldn’t have gone in the goal. It was terrible. I expect him to save it.”
“The second penalty was the penalty for first touching the chest and then touching the arm. It wouldn’t have happened if there was VAR, but we didn’t have VAR.
“They scored the extra point from long range. We have to contain him. We had enough chances to influence the scoreline.”
John Mousinho of Portsmouth:
“You know what? He kicks the ball really well. It’s something he’s been working on himself. Terry took some long-range shots, but was unlucky and forced some good saves from the goalie.”
“The first play was a little bit of a fluke, but the second play was really great. If there’s one player who deserves all the credit and praise, it’s Terry. He’s completely changed his game since we brought him in from Ireland.”
“We were happy with the result and our performance deserved it. Nico Schmidt made a great save in the first minute, but after that we controlled the game.”
“From the first to the third goal, we were great. We played really good football, but our mentality when we were up 3-0 wasn’t where we needed to be. We made some bad decisions.”
“We conceded a goal probably because we were a little too gung-ho and too aggressive in the box. As soon as we conceded a goal, we started defending our set-pieces better.”
