Portsmouth 2-1 QPR: Josh Murphy and Matt Ritchie net in Pompey win
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers at Fratton Park on Saturday; Josh Murphy and Matt Ritchie seal victory for John Mousinho's surging Pompey side.
Saturday 22 February 2025 18:46, UK
Josh Murphy inspired Portsmouth to a third victory in a row as they eased Championship relegation fears with a 2-1 win over QPR at Fratton Park.
Winger Murphy curled in a stunning strike in the 48th minute to break the deadlock before a mazy run ended up with him setting up Matt Ritchie three minutes later.
Pompey are now nine points above the drop zone as they move to their longest winning streak of the season, with no Championship team earning more home points than Pompey's 16 in 2025.
QPR's first defeat at Fratton Park since 1998 only came after Jimmy Dunne set up a frantic finale with a fine finish in the 74th minute but they stayed 14th.
The first half severely lacked quality, with Pompey failing to register a shot on target despite edging the possession stats.
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They had a series of half-chances with Connor Ogilvie bookending the first 45 minutes with a flicked header wide and a shot with too much lift over the crossbar, while Colby Bishop looped a header onto the roof of the net.
But it was the visitors who had the very best chance of the half.
Ilias Chair tried his luck from 30 yards but it was blocked into the path of Michael Frey who instinctively poked towards goal, where birthday boy Nicolas Schmid bravely saved.
The first half's dreariness only made the opening six minutes of the second all the more thrilling - with John Mousinho's team talk paying off with a quick-fire pair of goals.
Murphy twice produced moments of magic to stun the away side and put Pompey 2-0 by the 51st minute.
Firstly, he received the ball from Andre Dozzell on the left before skipping forward, cutting in and then bending into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
Then three minutes later, he capitalised on Steve Cook gifting him the ball to carry the ball to the by-line before laying on a plate for Ritchie.
Chances then started to come slightly more regularly at both ends. Southampton loanee Ronnie Edwards nodded a header over for the Rs, before Marlon Pack lifted over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Portsmouth's inability to pull clear offered hope for the west Londoners, initially summed up by substitute Alfie Lloyd going agonisingly wide with a shot across goal.
And became a reality when Dunne produced a stunning lobbed finish, after a raking diagonal ball from Chair, to pull one back for QPR.
Chair has now been involved in seven goals in his last 10 league appearances, and could have added a first away goal of the season with a free header, but nodded straight at Schmid.
It set up a nervy ending, but QPR could not fashion another major chance.
The managers
Portsmouth's John Mousinho:
"[Murphy] was absolutely superb. We have been encouraging to get on the inside shoulder and he is such a threat on the outside, but we've seen players overcompensation on that side so if you can go both ways at the full-back is useful.
"The goals is the only things that he has been missing this season. It has been an amazing renaissance from him after having a few years in the wilderness.
"It is massive to get the three wins and there were elements of the performance that were superb.
"I thought our reaction to a poor and tepid first half was good, both teams looked a bit scared of playing but we came out for the second half and got the small moments right.
"It feels good to be nine points clear of the relegation zone but the important thing is making sure we know we haven't cracked it.
"There are still plenty of points to play for so we have to be on it for every minute of every day. We want to take the appropriate amount of confidence from winning games but we don't want to get carried away."
QPR's Marti Cifuentes:
"It was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance. We knew we were coming to a pitch that is very intense from both the stands and the way Portsmouth play. It wasn't easy to impose our way of playing as they pressed so intensely.
"The start of the second half was bad and costly for us. Unfortunately Murphy scored a good goal because he is a good player and then we took a little bit of time until we understood how to react."
