Carling Cup Result: Burnley 0-1 Portsmouth: Nugent eases pressure

	Burnley 0 - 1 Portsmouth 69' 0 - 1 David Nugent
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David Nugent went some way towards relieving the pressure which has built since his £6million summer move to Portsmouth by striking the only goal in the Carling Cup third round at Turf Moor.

Nugent's 69th minute strike past Burnley keeper Gabor Kiraly was only his second goal since arriving at Fratton Park and drew furious protests from the home side, who claimed the striker had handled Pedro Mendes' cross before firing home.

But that will not matter to Nugent, whose boss Harry Redknapp had indicated he would be willing to offload the striker for the right offer a matter of weeks after he had joined the club from Preston.

Redknapp must have felt like leaving Nugent in the north west after his first-half howler when he raced clear only to see his attempted audacious nutmeg of keeper Kiraly fail miserably.

But Nugent struck back with a fine low finish to maintain Pompey's interest in a competition which, having made 10 changes from the win at Blackburn 48 hours earlier, is clearly low on Redknapp's priority list.

Sylvain Distin was the only survivor from the Ewood Park success and he was the busiest Pompey player early on, twice being called upon to make timely interceptions to deny the lively Ade Akinbiyi.

Portsmouth belatedly got a grip on proceedings in the 18th minute, when Nugent sprang the offside trap to race onto Mendes' through-ball, but was caught out trying to nutmeg the upright Kiraly instead of shooting.

Moments later, a similar ball sent Nugent the chance to go clear on the keeper again, but hesitation by the striker allowed Steve Jordan to get back with a superb sliding challenge in the box.

Akinbiyi injected some spice into a tepid affair by reacting angrily to the attentions of Noe Pamarot as the pair waited for a Burnley free-kick, but referee Mark Clattenburg sensibly took no action.

In-form Burnley had their best chance in the 33rd minute when Alan Mahon sent in a fine corner from the right and Steven Caldwell rose at the far post, only to see his point-blank header blocked by Ashdown.

A swift Pompey counter-attack almost led to their opener in the 37th minute when Benjani Mwaruwari set up Taylor, whose low drive was well parried by Gabor Kiraly before the home side cleared.

Four minutes before the break, Akinbiyi missed another chance to put the Clarets in front when he rose highest to meet a Mahon corner but steered his header straight at Jamie Ashdown.

Pompey looked most likely to break the deadlock at the start of the second half. Substitute John Utaka's shot was blocked in a crowded box and Noe Pamarot was inches away from connecting with a Nugent ball across the face of goal.

For Burnley, Mahon, who had been the architect of the majority of the home side's threatening moves from the start, attempted a long-range shot on the hour which sailed harmlessly over Ashdown's bar.

Then, as the home side belatedly stirred, Kyle Lafferty hit an on-target shot which was saved by the Pompey keeper and Akinbiyi completely missed what would have been a spectacular volley on the end of Jordan's dipping cross.

But just as Burnley began to threaten, Nugent struck with a goal which squeezed in off Kiraly's right-hand post and prompted furious but futile protests from the home side over the alleged handball.

Full Report: Soccernet.com