Frustrated Portsmouth fans boo their side off the pitch with a grim run extended after a 1-0 defeat to Swansea on Tuesday night.
Substitute Liam Cullen dealt Pompey with a potentially significant early blow in the battle for Championship survival, scoring in the 78th minute with quite the finish.
The result leaves Swansea, who now have back-to-back wins, 18th in the Championship table with 23 points from 20 games played, starting to move away from the drop zone.
However for Pompey, who fell to their seventh defeat from their last nine Championship matches, sees John Mousinho’s side 22nd, two points adrift of safety, after 19 games played.
Swansea head coach Vitor Matos, per BBC Sport:
“Mentality, desire, concentration, especially having good positioning in the game when we have the ball and when we don’t have the ball, that is massive to get through these moments.
“The effort the team put in the first half, especially the midfielders, was unbelievable because that allowed us to stay competitive during the game.
“Then it’s about details. It’s about a brilliant shot from Liam, a good goal. We knew the bench would have massive impact on the game.
“So I’m really happy with the boys, really happy with the way we approached the game, and we know that we need to improve, we know that we need to play better with the ballā¦but I’m really happy.”
Matos, per Sky Sports:
“The effort the team put in, especially the midfielders, was unbelievable.
“That allowed us to stay competitive during the game and then it’s about the details – like a brilliant shot from Liam again, which gave us a good goal.
“More important than back-to-back wins are the clean sheets. We kept that another clean sheet at home and this is the kind of mentality, the understanding, that means we can start building things from the defensive way.
“We know that we need to keep improving and that there’s a lot of things to come still. So, it’s another step, another game and in three days we play again.”
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho speaking to BBC Radio Solent:
“The performance was really solid and the effort levels were there, we just switched off for the goal and didn’t get the press right.
“There was nothing in the game but what is frustrating is that we got into some really good areas and just did not put Swansea under enough pressure.
“When we get into good areas we either don’t shoot or the ball doesn’t come into the area quick enough. With the players we have at the top of the pitch, we definitely have to be better.
“The major frustration for me was the goal. I could have taken coming away from here with a point.”
Mousinho said per the club website: āThe performance was solid for large parts of the game and there are no issues with the effort levels.
āItās so disappointing when you play like that away and then switch off for a goal ā we didnāt get the press right and it was a bitter blow.
āThere was very little in the game and thereās a frustration that we got into some really good areas and kept breaking, but didnāt put our opponents under enough pressure or create enough to score.
āWeāre either not shooting or the ball doesnāt get put into the box quickly enough, so itās something we definitely have to work on. We can do better with the guys we have at the top end of the pitch.
āBut I could have taken coming away from Swansea with a solid point and not conceding ā instead weāve left with nothing.
āWeāve exited the pitch knowing that we could have done better and left with at least something to show for our efforts. Itās not easy to take.
āWe know that we have to start winning games ā thereās a big one coming up at the weekend and then more against sides around us over the festive period.ā
Twitter users gave their reaction after frustrated Portsmouth fans boo their side with grim run extended following defeat to Swansea…
@CanadaPompey: Since beating Boro we’ve now P10 W1 D2 L7. Relegation Form at a canter. I don’t know how Mousinho survives. Players are shocking, tactics and management must have some responsibility. The definition of stupidity is doing the same things on repeat and expecting different results.
@pfcdave1898: Fucking awful. No effort from the players what so ever. Hughes out, Eisners out and Mous out. Players look like they don’t care! Something has to change
@PompeyArchie: Fucking abysmal. Need to get some midfielders who can move otherwise weāre more fucked than we currently are.
@joerobbs: Absolute shiteā¦ again. Mous has got to go tonight. Nothing else at the club will change so at the very least the manager needs to go. We could play till next Xmas and not look like scoring. Turgid football.
@H21HLH: What does this team bring? Weāve a striker that canāt score, defenders that canāt defend, A John Swift (Enough said). We would barely survive league 1 with this squad. A huge change is required ASAP.
@marchamjack: You were poor. We were less poor and our subs changed it. Thatās basically a fair sum of the match. Fear youāll go down
@PompeyHazza9: Not a single aspect of the club I enjoy at the moment I canāt see how we stay up at all
@JamiePFC: never liked the championship anyway, overrated mate
@ChadPFC: Iāve always backed the Eisners, but they came in just as we were on the up again. Theyāve not really experienced the shit yet. We donāt want āĀ£100m playersā but we expect to be competitive with some experienced players. Huge window in Jan, but have they left it too late?
@foxy_pfc: Pay good money for Le Roux and Kovnosky who canāt get past the legs gone of Pack! Bishop coming on ahead of Kirk! Kirk played less mins but scores more! Takes 2 right back to take turns in 1 game to cover LB ! Absolute shit show! Feel for travelling fans! Bye Mous!!!!
@sampfcx: Make them all walk home, Mousinho included
@RhysSCFC_: Take your bell and fuck off home
@AW0005378812646: Shit owners, shit manager, shit players. Can’t score, can’t defend. Apart from that we are fine
@rocksherpa: Fuck off relegate us now not good enough. @Michael_Eisner spend some decent money on decent players or sell up.
@Rich03832303: So angry, this season we should have built on last season but we look much worse. Penny pinching owners & piss poor recruitment and we are inevitably heading back to league one. JM is working with what heās got, Iām not sure thereās a manager out there that could do any better
@benf1503: Embarrassing. I hope Eisners were watching that dross. Awful, awful football.
@84Knight: We are really poor. Murphy was well off it tonight but still our best and only attacking option/threat. If we donāt beat Blackburn on Saturday, Mousinho has to go. Swansea showing what a change of manager can do. Canāt afford to leave it too late and be too far cut adrift.
Club statement: John Mousinho pic.twitter.com/m5SSrU4Gz2
ā benjani crouch jr (@frattonista) December 9, 2025
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