Three see red as Pompey snatch precious late draw
Darren Bent had given the visitors the lead from a penalty in the 12th minute, with Ricardo Rocha sent off in the build-up to the opener.
With Avram Grant sent to the stands, it looked like there was no way back for Pompey, but Sunderland had Lee Cattermole and former Cork City man David Meyler dismissed and then Dindane struck at the death.
Grant proved that whatever happens this season, he and his players are going down with a fight. After a first half where he had a player sent off and a penalty appeal turned down, Grant snapped and went eyeball to eyeball with Kevin Friend after marching onto the pitch to confront the referee.
He let out all of his frustrations on Friend after another day of financial chaos in Pompey’s troubled season.
After 12 minutes Bent grabbed the opener. It came after a bizarre series of events when Kenwyne Jones met a long ball and delicately backheeled over the Pompey defence, with Bent racing into the penalty area and going down after getting clipped by Rocha.
Friend’s credibility dipped when he showed a red card to Hassan Yebda and the Algerian headed towards the dressing room before Rocha called him back. The confusion did not put Bent off and he tucked away his spot-kick off the post.
Grant watched the second half from the directors’ box as punishment for blasting Friend, and he saw plenty of fight from his side despite playing with a man less than the visitors initially.
They were appealing for a penalty again when Turner challenged Piquionne. Friend turned it down but immediately made it 10 v 10 by giving a second yellow card to Cattermole for a challenge on Angelos Basinas.
As the hosts poured forward, Sunderland had chances to wrap up the match on the counter-attack. Jones headed on for Bent to race through but David James produced a fine save to deny his England team-mate.
From the resulting corner Kilgallon struck the inside of the post with a volley from the edge of the area.
Meyler was dismissed late on after a clash with Steve Finnan, two minutes after coming off the bench.
And in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Dindane met O’Hara’s deep cross and headed home.
PORTSMOUTH: James, Rocha, Finnan (Danny Webber 89), Ben Haim, O’Hara, Bouba Diop (Kanu, 75), Yebda (Nadir Belhadj, 78), Basinas, Wilson, Piquionne, Dindane
SUNDERLAND Gordon, McCartney, Turner, Hutton, Kilgallon, Malbranque (Zenden, 45), Cana, Reid (Meyler, 85), Cattermole, Bent (Phil Bardsley, 89), Jones
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