Carson feels sting in a tale of two keepers

SPARE a thought for poor Scott Carson, who once again has much to think about and much he would like to forget. Not only was England manager Fabio Capello present to witness yet more shortcomings on Saturday, he also had to watch David James, his biggest rival for an England shirt, excel at the other end.

Carson, on loan for the season from Liverpool, is already famous for ensuring Steve McClaren will be haunted forever by Niko Kranjcar’s tame long-range shot somehow squirming into his net on the night England failed to secure the draw with Croatia that would have ensured qualification for Euro 2008.

McClaren, having jettisoned Paul Robinson, had ignored James to give the rookie his unexpected opportunity. Capello, who has nothing but friendlies on the immediate horizon as a direct consequence, is unlikely to make the same mistake.

Kranjcar, on this occasion, turned out to be nothing more than a red herring in his Pompey blue but misfortune still found Carson at Fratton Park.

Disaster number one arrived in the 11th minute when Glen Johnson sent a long ball over Martin Laursen for Jermain Defoe to loft over Carson and into an empty net.

Disaster number two saw Carson again come out — at greater pace this time — and he arrived first as Defoe hared after Sulley Muntari’s pass. He could have put the ball anywhere in the PO4 postal district but somehow managed to whack his clearance off team-mate Nigel Reo-Coker and there were Villa fans behind the goal with their heads in their hands long before it completed its 25-yard trundle across the line.

However Villa manager Martin O’Neill, whose hopes of UEFA Cup qualification are receding fast, refused to castigate Carson. ‘‘We have had him for the season and overall I have been delighted with him,’’ he said. James already knew he was in Capello’s good books having been given the nod for the Switzerland friendly last month but with England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence also present it was time for a virtuoso performance.

Getting behind an early sighter from Shaun Maloney was regulation stuff but there was real danger when he came out to deny Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew was aghast when his header was somehow pawed round a post. Ditto Ashley Young, whose 20-yard drive just before the break had looked destined for the bottom corner.

And the visitors knew it was all over when James kept out Young’s peach of a free-kick. Muntari and then Olof Mellberg were both shown second yellow cards but the game was already settled and when James at last made an error, dropping a catch in stoppage time, Capello’s seat was empty.

Redknapp praised James for the dedication that, at 37, has seen him awarded a new two-year deal. He said: ‘‘I have never seen anyone train so hard. You can’t get him off the training ground. He is an absolute fanatic for it.’’

PORTSMOUTH (4-4-2): James 9, Johnson 7, Distin 8, Hreidarsson 7, Lauren 6, Diop 7, Diarra 7, Muntari 8, Krankjar 6, Baros 7 (Kanu 83, 5), Defoe 8 (Utaka 81, 5).

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Aubey, Mendes.

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Carson 5, Mellberg 7, Laursen 7, Knight 7, Bouma 8 (Salifou 5), Maloney 5 (Harewood 57, 6), Reo-Coker 7, Barry 8, Young 8, Agbonlahor 6, Carew 7.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Petrov, Osbourne.

REFEREE: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 6: Too trigger-happy when he ejected first Muntari and then Mellberg for two bookable offences but resisted producing an instant red when Baros elbowed Laursen in the face.

MATCH RATING: **** Plenty of action, plenty of incident and those two goals will linger long in the memory.