Sunday, 13 September 2026

Game better than the score

Millenic Alli was guilty of a glaring miss against his former club Portsmouth to the delight of their fans as the Addicks failed to take their chances at The Valley.    However, moaners have been relatively quiet as it was felt that the performance was better than the score.    Campbell put in a number of good crosses but there was no red shirt to connect.

In any event Charlton are still 6th in the table and most fans would have taken that at the start of the season.   It was certainly not a bore draw despite the scoreline replicating that against QPR.

Alli was on loan at Portsmouth last season before his £1.5m summer move from Luton Town and he squandered a great opportunity to break the deadlock when he blazed over from close range.

Charlton have not lost a Championship game at home since 22 April and dropped a place to sixth, but they will feel they could have taken all three points to maintain their fine start to the season.

Conor Shaughnessy, Abu Kamara and Adrian Segecic went closest for Portsmouth and the draw continues to inch John Mousinho's side away from the bottom end of the table.

Charlton created the better chances, while Portsmouth shaded possession without doing much with the ball, and Pompey goalkeeper Daniel Bielica saved Miles Leaburn's shot low down.  Leaburn, Tyreece Campbell and Oliver Skipp missed chances before Bielica saved Karlan Grant's fierce drive.

Then came Alli's moment to forget. In the 32nd minute, Campbell crossed to the Irish winger, who ballooned his shot over from just six yards out to the delight of the away fans, who booed him mercilessly because of his disappointing loan spell with them during the second half of last season.

Alli was also denied by Bielica, while Charlton goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo kept out a Shaughnessy header from Portsmouth's first effort on target just before half-time.

Spurred on by that effort, Kamara forced a save from Okonkwo just 18 seconds into the second half with a shot from the edge of the area.

Portsmouth might have snatched it late on through Segecic, who should have done better when his shot from close range was saved by Okonkwo to earn another clean sheet.

There was some criticism of Charlton making only one substitution.

Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London:

"I thought the performance was really good. In the first half especially, I thought we were really fluid. I thought we created some excellent chances, some really good situations.

"We looked a threat and we controlled the game. I thought our midfield two were excellent, our wide players carried a threat, and we probably had the only absolute clear chance of the game, and it was a clear-cut chance.

"In terms of that, we're probably just a little bit frustrated we haven't won it because I think if we'd have scored the first goal, then we're very difficult to beat here."

  

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