Former Portsmouth manager gives honest verdict as John Mousinho picks up ‘very good point’ vs Southampton

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Portsmouth’s performance against Southampton has been hailed after they were held to a 0-0 draw at St Mary’s.

Portsmouth and Southampton played out a 0-0 draw at St Mary’s, the first time it has finished goalless in 125 years.

From a Southampton point of view, the draw has left Saints fans questioning Will Still, especially after they struggled to get a grasp of the game in the first half.

Pompey were able to control the tide of the contest, but only went close when Andre Dozzell’s effort hit the woodwork after a stunning effort from outside the box.

For Southampton, Cameron Archer rounded Pompey goalkeeper Ben Killip but couldn’t convert the half chance, and notched another chance towards the end from a corner, but the game would go on to finish 0-0.

There were many positives for John Mousinho’s side after a performance that helped them towards a ‘good’ draw against their bitter rivals.

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Former Portsmouth manager Guy Whittingham gives verdict on Southampton draw

Via the BBC live feed, former Portsmouth manager Guy Whittingham has praised Pompey for their display at St Mary’s.

Whittingham, who managed 51 games at Portsmouth between 2012-13, noted that the goalscoring product was minimal for both teams, but the positives far outweigh the drawbacks.

“When you come to games like this, you have to be troubling the goalkeeper and neither side did that,” said Whittingham. “A very good point and a decent performance from Pompey in the end.”

The result means that Portsmouth sit 9th in the table, two points ahead of noisy neighbors Southampton, who occupy 15th place.

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Josh Murphy left gutted to not clinch the win

While Guy Whittingham was pleased to see his former side come away with a point, Portsmouth winger Josh Murphy was left disappointed that they could not make their pressure count.

Following the game, Murphy said: “It was a special occasion today. I think everyone is a bit gutted that we didn’t get the three points because we feel we deserved it.

“But we dug in deep, took a lot of pressure from Southampton at the end of the game so maybe a draw is fair, but we feel a little disappointed.

“With derbies, tactics probably go out the window in the end. It becomes eleven versus eleven and you just have to win those battles. We came in at halftime and were happy with how we performed.

“It felt like a home game at times. I’ve said it before that we have the best fans in the league, so we look forward to the next one being played back at Fratton Park later on in the year.”

Before the contest, Portsmouth fans would have been delighted with a draw, but there is a feeling that, following such a bright performance, they were unlucky not to come away with all three.

Portsmouth gave Will Still’s side more than just a scare, and they will feel confident ahead of the reverse fixture in the second half of the Championship season.