Adams undone by familiar scoreline

THE home fans gave Tony Adams a rousing reception but the former Gunners captain must have known it was always likely to end 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Adams had set up his Pompey side for a 0-0 with a five-man midfield and just Peter Crouch up front but when David James has another one of those days clean sheets are usually hard to come by. Sure enough, an horrendous error gifted William Gallas a late winner and enabled Arsene Wenger’s side to move up to fourth above Aston Villa.

They are holding on by their fingertips — goals scored — although Villa have the perfect opportunity to go three points clear again tomorrow night at Hull.

Adams lifted numerous trophies as a player in front of the North Bank and it was notable that none of the current Arsenal side seemed to capture the imagination of the fans as much as the dapperly-dressed reformed alcoholic in the away dug-out.

“It comes back and haunts you doesn’t it?” Adams admitted after his side had been beaten for the fourth successive game.

“I thought we had done enough to get something out of the game, like at Liverpool in my first game in charge. We played the same kind of system and were 12 minutes away from getting something.”

Wenger rested Robin van Persie after the Dutchman had ploughed a lone furrow at Villa Park while the relegation of Jermain Defoe to the Pompey bench just happened to coincide with revelations from previous manager Harry Redknapp that his attempts to bring the forward back to Spurs had been stymied by a “massive offer” from another club.

“Speculate all you want but we have had no offers from Jermain Defoe — not one,” Adams insisted.

“You would have to talk to Harry but we have had not one offer. I’m determined to hold on to all of my players but on the other hand I want people who want to play for Portsmouth.”

So did that apply to Defoe? Certainly, Adams countered, as the England international had been unhappy to have been squeezed out of a formation that included spare-part striker David Nugent employed as a right winger.

“J today was really annoyed at me for leaving him out and he’s still angry with me now,” Adams said. “And I didn’t want that any other way to be honest. It was tactical, exactly like at Liverpool.

“He may have a point as he can turn round and tell me: ‘You’ve got it wrong, boss, because you lost.’ But it’s not easy being a manager. You have to make difficult decisions.”

Pompey were nine minutes away from a point when the third of James’s trio of poor punches eventually cost them.

Previously he had flapped away a corner that required the presence of Papa Bouba Diop on the line to stop Emmanuel Adebayor from diverting home Mikael Silverstre’s header and another error gave Adebayor a chance from six yards that he inexplicably put in the side-netting.

But when James failed to make any contact at all to Denilson’s free-kick from the left touchline the ball was in the back of the net in an instant off Gallas’s head. Game over.

The Frenchman had been excellent throughout, although compatriot Sylvain Distin was even better, producing an intervention of almost miraculous proportions after Adebayor had rounded James and eluded Sol Campbell on route to an open goal in the first half.

Portsmouth’s only chance had been the first of the afternoon but though Crouch’s header beat Manuel Almunia it hit an upright and the day belonged to Gallas.

“He has answered everybody by the quality of his performances on the pitch — and that’s what you want to do when you are a great player,” Wenger said.

“He can turn up at set-pieces and get goals. He started as a striker and looks the most likely to score from set-pieces because he has the timing of the run. You either have that or you don’t.”

Indeed but one thing Arsenal definitely do not possess is a fit Cesc Fabregas and they are likely to continue to toil without him.

REFEREE: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire) 6: No real problems. At least Arsene Wenger won’t feel the need to berate the officials for once.

MATCH RATING *** Portsmouth came to frustrate Arsenal and for the main part did exactly that. Arsenal’s finishing was also frustrating but Gallas had the last word.