Home draw with Oxford left Portsmouth boss John Mousinho wanting more

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho admitted his side’s 2-2 draw with Oxford will not help either team in their relegation fights.

Andre Dozzell’s 87th-minute equaliser meant the Sky Bet Championship points were shared in a topsy-turvy match, in which Pompey played 73 minutes with 10 men.

“It is still extremely tight at the bottom of the table,” said Mousinho, with a point and the relegation line separating the relegation rivals.

“It was a must-win for both teams so I’m not sure it has helped either side.

“In the circumstances, we will take the point.

“I thought the character and the way the boys went about it was excellent. To be able to do that in a game of magnitude was pleasing, especially to come back into the game after the hammer blow of Oxford’s second goal.”

Pompey had taken the lead in the ninth minute, thanks to a well-taken finish by Keshi Anderson – his first goal for the Blues.

But Connor Ogilvie’s red card for a scissor-tackle from behind on Stan Mills proved to be the biggest flashpoint in a fraught dogfight.

Mousinho said: “My take on the red in real time was that I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be a red – including Oxford.

“I don’t think it is a red card and if you are going to do something as monumental as that you have to be 100 per cent sure, and I don’t think it is clear cut.

“I’m not going to hide away from Ogilvie not needing to make the challenge but if that is a red card then there is going to be a fair few red cards dished out over the next year.”

Oxford boss Matt Bloomfield insisted he had not seen the incident back but added: “I was discussing with the crowd around me, who wanted to give their opinions, and they were a little more accepting of it after half-time when they had seen it back.”

The man advantage allowed the visitors to rally in the second half, with Brodie Spencer levelling before Tottenham loanee Will Lankshear’s diving header looked to have taken the three points in the 81st minute.

However, Dozzell picked out the bottom corner with three minutes to spare to earn the hosts a draw.

Bloomfield said: “We could have won. We got our noses in front so close to the end of the game.

“We worked so hard to get ahead and feel terribly disappointed we’re not walking away with three points.

“Nothing was decided today. The lads are disappointed, as am I, that we haven’t won the game, because we have got so close.

“At the same time, it is my job as a leader of the group to pick everyone up for the next game. We can’t be too down. We have five matches left and we have to keep hunting.”