Pedersen strikes as Blackburn see off Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH tumbled to their first home defeat since March and out of the Carling Cup as goals by Benni McCarthy and Morten Gamst Pedersen earned Blackburn a place in the quarter-finals.

McCarthy’s simple tap-in came on 12 minutes and reflected Blackburn’s superiority, but Pompey fought back after half time when Pedersen capitalised on an error by Pedro Mendes with 14 minutes left.

Kanu’s consolation goal came too late to matter and home fans were left ruing a miserable miss by fellow substitute David Nugent who missed a sitter 10 minutes after the break.

Lone striker Benjani Mwaruwari provided an early threat with a run down the left but made a mess of his cross. David James ran 20 yards outside his box to rob Roque Santa Cruz and the goalkeeper’s clearance was helped onto John Utaka whose blistering right-wing run was ruined by an overhit cross.

James, though, should have been left helpless in the ninth minute when, from David Bentley’s corner, Christopher Samba was left with a free header but put it over the bar.

But Blackburn had to wait only three minutes more to take the lead. McCarthy was left totally unmarked to slot home Aaron Mokoen’s right-wing cross from about eight yards, his fourth goal in as many games.

David Nugent was slow moving to a perfectly-weighted cross by Taylor and Benjani failed to make contact with a similar effort by Utaka from the right.

And with the goal gaping two yards out following Utaka’s cross, the former Preston star somehow failed to head home from two yards on 55 minutes.

With 14 minutes left Pedersen sealed a quarter-final place for Rovers. Benjani had just been replaced by Kanu when Mendes lost possession just inside his own area and although he recovered to block Santa Cruz’s shot, the ball ran loose for the Norwegian to rifle home. Kanu headed in Johnson’s stoppage-time free-kick but it did little to cheer the vast majority of a disappointing crowd below 12,000.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Pamarot (Nugent 45), Utaka, Diop (Taylor 45), Pedro Mendes, Davis, Kranjcar, Mwaruwari (Kanu 75).

BLACKBURN: Friedel, Mokoena (Emerton 28), Samba, Nelsen, Berner, Bentley (Derbyshire 37), Khizanishvili, Dunn, Pedersen, McCarthy (Treacy 90), Santa Cruz.

Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).