High flying Portsmouth had to settle for a 1-1 draw with League One strugglers Oxford United last night, in a game which saw an unexpected performance from the away side.
Oxford went 1-0 up after just 15 minutes, with a fantastic half-volley from loanee Kyle Joseph, who is finally hitting form.
After a red card for U's forward Billy Bodin 72 minutes in, Pompey piled on the pressure for the remainder of the game. That pressure finally paid off on 78 minutes, a deflected cross found Colby Bishop six yards out, who finished easily.
After eight minutes of additional time, the Yellows held on from a late onslaught of crosses to take a point from Fratton Park.Here are some of the things we learnt from the fixture.
Portsmouth struggle to break down a well organised defence
Despite the home team having 68% possession and 19 shots, these stats do not tell the whole story. In reality, we witnessed a Fratton Park that became very irritated and negative for large spells of the game.
Karl Robinson's side set up very well, and forced the home side into playing in certain areas of the pitch which allowed Oxford to win the ball back regularly and set up counter attacks.
Throughout the game, Pompey were limited to speculative efforts from outside the box that rarely troubled Simon Eastwood in the Oxford goal.
Long balls from the Portsmouth back four up towards Dane Scarlett and Bishop were headed away with ease by the Yellows defence and when Danny Cowley's men played out from the back, the trap set by young Gatlin O'Donkor worked on many occasions to win the ball high up the field.
In the end, a deflected cross found the feet of Bishop, to find the net in what was one of their only real chances at goal.
Injury issues could stunt Pompey’s ambition
Two key players for Portsmouth in Joe Rafferty and Tom Lowery were both expected to be back for the clash with Oxford last night, according to manager Cowley. However, both were absent from the squad.
The pair join Marlon Pack on the sidelines at the moment, who was also said to be ready to feature. The absence has lead to confusion amongst fans.
Many fans were worried the missing personal would hamper the way the home side like to play, leaning to more of a sit back and soak up the pressure approach.
This wasn't the case in the end, but the missing men proved important to the home side, who struggled to find rhythm until the sending off.
Karl Robinson has not loss the dressing room
Amongst calls from many supporters to get rid of Karl Robinson, the manager still seams to have the full confidence and backing from the players.
The aggressive, high pressure and last ditch defending was the performance of a side who have not given up of their gaffer.
Whilst not necessarily being the type of football a Robinson side would play, the energy and heart that the away side put in was noticeable.
The likes of Ciaron Brown and skipper Elliot Moore throwing their bodies in the way of shots, young O'Donkor and Joseph running their socks off up front to harass and pressure the Pompey back line was fascinating to watch.
After the Bodin red card, Oxford were subject to playing an extremely unorthodox 4-4-1 formation. They ended up with three central defenders and three fullbacks (two of which were playing as forwards by the end of the game).
But the determination they showed, was a clear sign that this team is together and fighting for the club and the manager.
Oxford may have found a new talisman
For a team sitting just above the relegation zone, loanee Kyle Joseph has finally proved to be a source of goals for the Yellows.
After a slow start to the season, it was looking like a signing that would run about like a headless chicken for 70 minutes, but when proved with an opportunity around the goal, was rarely going to trouble to keeper.
In recent games however, Joseph has added goals. With three goals in three league games, the Swansea City loanee is starting to add goals to his game. And it has come just in time. Talisman Matty Taylor's red card on the weekend means he will miss two more games.
The 21-year-old has an ability to run like nobody's business. His stamina and ability to chase the ball around the back line for minutes on end is like no other player.
That ability created chances for the U's last night, and when the ball was set up for him courtesy of a lovely chest control by O'Donkor, Joseph caught it on the half volley and drilled it past Josh Griffiths in the Pompey goal.
If he can stay fit and confident, between him and Matty Taylor, Oxford should find a way to take more points from games.