Portsmouth climbed out of the Championship relegation zone after a 1-1 draw with Southampton in a fiery derby at Fratton Park. Ebou Adams, a January signing from Derby County, marked his home debut with a 77th-minute equaliser, cancelling out Léo Scienza's opener for the visitors.
Southampton had taken the lead in the 57th minute when Scienza raced onto Finn Azaz's pass and calmly beat goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid. The Brazilian winger taunted home fans as he celebrated with the travelling supporters. Schmid had earlier kept Portsmouth level with two first-half saves from Saints top scorer Adam Armstrong.
The match boiled over with 20 minutes remaining when Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes sparked a melee with a heavy tackle on Zak Swanson. The flashpoint fired up the crowd, and Portsmouth levelled 13 minutes from time when Adams bundled in from Adrian Segecic's corner.
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho described the game as a "proper old school derby" and felt his side could have won. "It was a really brilliant occasion to be a part of. The only disappointment is we didn't win because I thought we could have done at the end," he said. "I think it was a fair result. As a spectacle, it was brilliant."
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert disagreed, saying his side deserved more. "The chances were quite clearly on our side, especially in the first half. When we go up, we need to bring the game over the line," he said. "It's a good corner, a scramble in the middle, and we need to just deal better with those situations."
The point lifts Portsmouth above Blackburn into 21st place, while Southampton remain 15th, extending their wait for an away clean sheet to 25 league games.
