Slip-sliding away: Dawson can't keep his feet on a Wembley surface strewn with divots, and a routine clearance becomes a chance for Piquionne to put Portsmouth in frontAvram Grant heaped praise on the ‘never-say-die’ spirit of his players after Portsmouth defied the odds to book their FA Cup final place with a dramatic extra-time victory over Tottenham.
But, after an exhilarating semi-final, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp slammed the
Wembley pitch as a farcical disgrace.
Pompey’s opening goal came when on-loan striker Frederic Piquionne capitalised on a slip by Michael Dawson.
Grant, who will now face former club Chelsea on May 15, was equally critical of the playing surface at the national stadium. But the Portsmouth manager, who wore an armband for Holocaust Remembrance day, understandably preferred to concentrate on a magnificent victory for his side.Lauding his players for their dedication to the cause in a campaign which has seen Portsmouth come perilously close to going out of business, Grant said: ‘It’s one of the best upsets of my career. It was the way we did this. What has happened this season, and with players also being injured in the last few weeks…to see these players give everything and never give up, it was a crazy story.’
Portsmouth had to wait until the ninth minute of extra time for the breakthrough.
Tottenham appeared to have hit back almost immediately through Peter Crouch, but referee Alan Wiley contentiously ruled out the England striker’s effort for a foul by substitute Niko Kranjcar on David James.
More controversy followed when Wiley adjudged that Wilson Palacios had brought down Aruna Dindane in the area before pointing to the spot. The Honduras midfielder was booked for the tenth time this season and will miss Tottenham’s vital games against Arsenal and Chelsea.
source: dailymail
