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Portsmouth will feel they had the last laugh with the 0-0 at Southampton, and Josh Murphy has now added fuel to the fire.
Southampton and Portsmouth achieved a feat not seen in 125 years with their goalless draw in the South Coast derby on Saturday, but the lack of goals was mitigated by the full-blooded display from both sides.
Tempers flared throughout the match, which led to Pompey boss John Mousinho accusing Tom Fellows of trying to injure his Portsmouth players.
At full-time, things spilled over on the touchline with Will Still and Mousinho’s heated handshake altercation, which was captured perfectly by the Sky Sports cameras.
Portsmouth ace Josh Murphy gave Southampton a torrid time throughout the afternoon, and the winger has rubbed salt in the Saints’ wounds with his post-match remarks.
- READ MORE: Will Still explains what Southampton ‘must learn’ after goalless derby draw vs Portsmouth
Josh Murphy says Southampton vs Portsmouth felt ‘like a home game’
As expected given the build-up to the clash, the South Coast derby affair was a hotly contested clash with a barrage of hefty challenges from both sides.
Six yellow cards were brandished between the two sides, with the Saints receiving four and Pompey given two, with Still also booked for his reaction on the touchline.
Murphy felt the full force of the Saints’ will to win, with the Pompey winger being the most fouled player in the match (4 times).
But after the game, the 30-year-old wideman will have wound up the St Mary’s faithful with his dubious comments regarding the atmosphere at Southampton.
As quoted by Portsmouth News, Murphy said: “You can see it was almost like a home game with the fans there.
“So, yeah, back at Fratton, it’s going to be unreal. They (the fans) are there through thick and thin, and the Fratton one’s going to be something special.
“First league derby in a long time, and the fans properly turned up.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t get the three points, but I thought everyone, to a man, was absolutely excellent, and the fans, they were a different class.
“(We) probably lacked the bit of quality that we needed to win the match, but that’s a work in progress.”
Josh Murphy is key to Portsmouth’s safety from relegation
Southampton summer signing Mads Roerslev was looking forward to the derby, but Murphy gave the former Brentford full-back an extremely difficult afternoon.
Murphy created two chances, played six passes into the final third, and was also impressive out of possession with four recoveries for his Pompey teammates.
EFL Analysis exclusively revealed recently that West Brom were close to signing Murphy in the summer window, with Leicester City also registering strong interest.
Further to that, EFL Analysis have revealed that Portsmouth plan to combat January moves for Murphy by tying the winger down to a new deal at Fratton Park.
As seen in the South Coast derby, Murphy is pivotal to Portsmouth, and Pompey must retain his services with the former Oxford United man looking forward to round two against Southampton in late January.