2007–08 Portsmouth F.C. season

Portsmouth F.C. had its most successful season since it won the domestic league twice 1949 and 1950, thanks to an FA Cup campaign that saw them beating Cardiff City in the final. The run to the final included a surprise 1–0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford, thanks to a Sulley Muntari penalty.

The millions of pounds invested in the squad on players such as Glen Johnson, Lassana Diarra, Muntari and others also enabled Portsmouth to have an unprecedented run in the modern Premier League era, finishing in eighth, despite losing the last few matches of the season. During the autumn, Portsmouth was involved in the battle for a Champions League spot, thanks to its surprise form. The season also saw a remarkable game, beating Reading by 7–4 at Fratton Park, following eight goals in the second half.

However, despite the success in the FA Cup and league, the club's overspending on players would lead to a financial crisis that would see Portsmouth enter administration twice and suffer relegation to the fourth tier within five seasons.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	David James
3	DF	Lucien Aubey^[2]
4	DF	Lauren
5	DF	Glen Johnson
6	MF	Lassana Diarra
7	DF	Hermann Hreiðarsson
8	MF	Papa Bouba Diop
9	FW	Milan Baroš (on loan from Lyon)
10	FW	David Nugent
11	MF	Sulley Muntari
14	FW	Jermain Defoe
15	DF	Sylvain Distin
16	DF	Noé Pamarot

No.	Position	Player
17	FW	John Utaka
18	MF	Arnold Mvuemba^[3]
19	MF	Niko Kranjčar
20	DF	Martin Cranie
21	GK	Jamie Ashdown
22	MF	Richard Hughes
23	DF	Sol Campbell (captain)
27	FW	Nwankwo Kanu
28	MF	Sean Davis
30	MF	Pedro Mendes
31	GK	Asmir Begović^[4]
34	MF	Franck Songo'o^[5]

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
3	DF	Dejan Stefanović (to Fulham)
6	DF	Djimi Traoré^[6] (on loan to Rennes)
14	MF	Matthew Taylor (to Bolton Wanderers)
25	FW	Benjani Mwaruwari (to Manchester City)

No.	Position	Player
26	MF	Gary O'Neil (to Middlesbrough)
32	FW	Lomana LuaLua (to Olympiacos)
33	DF	Andy O'Brien^[7] (to Bolton Wanderers)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
2	DF	Linvoy Primus
24	DF	Richard Duffy
35	DF	Marc Wilson^[8]
	GK	Nicholas Jordan

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Tom Kilbey
		MF	Marlon Pack
		MF	Jean-François Christophe
		FW	Adda Djeziri

Competitions

Premier League

Results

11 August 2007 1	Derby County	2–2	Portsmouth	Derby, Derbyshire
	Oakley 5' Todd 84'	Report	Benjani 27' Utaka 83'	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 32,176 Referee: Mike Dean

15 August 2007 2	Portsmouth	1–1	Manchester United	Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45	Benjani 53' Muntari 54', 83' Davis 86'	Report	Scholes 15' Ronaldo 85' Vidić 86'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,510 Referee: Steve Bennett

18 August 2007 3	Portsmouth	3–1	Bolton Wanderers	Portsmouth, Hampshire
12:45 BST	Kanu 16' Utaka 30' Taylor 88' (pen.)	Report	Anelka 12'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 17,108 Referee: Steve Tanner

25 August 2007 4	Chelsea	1–0	Portsmouth	Fulham, London
15:00 BST	Lampard 31'	Report	Davis 52' Muntari 77'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,501 Referee: Alan Wiley

2 September 2007 5	Arsenal	3–1	Portsmouth	Islington, London
13:30 BST	Adebayor 8' (pen.) Fàbregas 35' Senderos 49' Rosický 59'	Report	Kanu 60'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,114 Referee: Mark Halsey

15 September 2007 6	Portsmouth	0–0	Liverpool	Portsmouth, Hampshire
12:45 BST	Bouba Diop 29' Johnson 64' Davis 90+3'	Report	Alonso 31' Sissoko 76'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,388 Referee: Mike Riley

23 September 2007 7	Blackburn Rovers	0–1	Portsmouth	Blackburn, Lancashire
15:00 BST		Report	Kanu 25'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 19,506 Referee: Chris Foy

29 September 2007 8	Portsmouth	7–4	Reading	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 BST	Benjani 7', 37', 70' Hreiðarsson 55' Kranjčar 70' Ingimarsson 81' (o.g.) Muntari 90+2' (pen.)	Report	Hunt 45' Kitson 48' Long 79' Campbell 90+4' (o.g.)	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,102 Referee: Mark Halsey

7 October 2007 9	Fulham	0–2	Portsmouth	Fulham, London
16:10	Davis 21'	Report	Benjani 50' Hreiðarsson 52'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 20,774 Referee: Howard Webb

20 October 2007 10	Wigan Athletic	0–2	Portsmouth	Wigan, Greater Manchester
		Report	Benjani 81' Johnson 86'	Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 17,695 Referee: Peter Walton

27 October 2007 11	Portsmouth	0–0	West Ham United	Portsmouth, Hampshire
17:15 BST		Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,525 Referee: Mike Dean

3 November 2007 12	Newcastle United	1–4	Portsmouth	Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside
	Campbell 16' (o.g.)	Report	Pamarot 8' Benjani 9' Utaka 11' Kranjčar 71'	Stadium: St. James' Park Attendance: 51,490 Referee: Chris Foy

11 November 2007 13	Portsmouth	0–0	Manchester City	Portsmouth, Hampshire
16:00		Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,529 Referee: Mark Halsey

24 November 2007 14	Birmingham City	0–2	Portsmouth	Birmingham, West Midlands
15:00 GMT		Report	Muntari 34' Kranjčar 82'	Stadium: St. Andrew's Attendance: 22,089 Referee: Martin Atkinson

1 December 2007 15	Portsmouth	0–0	Everton	Portsmouth, Hampshire
GMT		Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,102 Referee: Peter Walton

8 December 2007 16	Aston Villa	1–3	Portsmouth	Birmingham, West Midlands
12:45	Carew 4' Berger 67' Barry 72' (pen.)	Report	Gardner 10' (o.g.) Muntari 40', 61' Mendes 43' Johnson 68' James 74' Pamarot 75' Kranjčar 80'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,790 Referee: Mike Riley

15 December 2007 17	Portsmouth	0–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report	Berbatov 81'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,520 Referee: Martin Atkinson

22 December 2007 18	Liverpool	4–1	Portsmouth	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Benayoun 13' Distin 16' (o.g.) Torres 67', 85'	Report	Benjani 57'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,071 Referee: Mike Riley

26 December 2007 19	Portsmouth	0–0	Arsenal	Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,556 Referee: Steve Bennett

29 December 2007 20	Portsmouth	0–1	Middlesbrough	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report	Şanlı 20'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,089 Referee: Alan Wiley

1 January 2008 21	Reading	0–2	Portsmouth	Reading, Berkshire
15:00 GMT	Sonko 3'	Report	Campbell 9' Utaka 66'	Stadium: Majewski Stadium Attendance: 24,084 Referee: Mike Dean

13 January 2008 22	Sunderland	2–0	Portsmouth	Sunderland
	Richardson 33', 44'	Report		Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 37,369 Referee: Chris Foy

19 January 2008 23	Portsmouth	3–1	Derby County	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Benjani 38', 42', 55'	Report	Nyatanga 4'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,401 Referee: Mike Dean

30 January 2008 24	Manchester United	2–0	Portsmouth	Trafford, Greater Manchester
	Ronaldo 10', 13'	Report		Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,415 Referee: Martin Atkinson

2 February 2008 25	Portsmouth	1–1	Chelsea	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00 GMT	Defoe 64'	Report	Anelka 55'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,488 Referee: Howard Webb

9 February 2008 26	Bolton Wanderers	0–1	Portsmouth	Bolton, Greater Manchester
15:00 GMT		[news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/7223964.stm Report]	Diarra 81'	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 18,544 Referee: Peter Walton

2 February 2008 27	Portsmouth	1–0	Sunderland	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Defoe 69' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,139 Referee: Phil Dowd

2 March 2008 28	Everton	3–1	Portsmouth	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Yakubu 1', 81' Cahill 73'	Report	Defoe 38'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 33,938 Referee: Andre Marriner

12 March 2008 29	Portsmouth	4–2	Birmingham City	Portsmouth, Hampshire
19:45 GMT	Defoe 6' (pen.), 9' Hreiðarsson 49' Kanu 90'	Report	Muamba 10' Larsson 40'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,138 Referee: Steve Tanner

15 March 2008 30	Portsmouth	2–0	Aston Villa	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Defoe 11' Reo-Coker 38' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,388 Referee: Chris Foy

22 March 2008 31	Tottenham Hotspur	2–0	Portsmouth	Haringey, London
	Bent 30' O'Hara 82'	Report		Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,998 Referee: Phil Dowd

29 March 2008 32	Portsmouth	2–0	Wigan Athletic	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Defoe 32', 90'	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 18,623 Referee: Alan Wiley

8 April 2008 33	West Ham United	0–1	Portsmouth	London
19:45 BST		Report	Kranjčar 61'	Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 33,629 Referee: Lee Probert

12 April 2008 34	Portsmouth	0–0	Newcastle United	Portsmouth, Hampshire
		Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,507 Referee: Phil Dowd

20 April 2008 35	Manchester City	3–1	Portsmouth	Manchester, Greater Manchester
16:00	Vassell 11' Petrov 13' Benjani 74'	Report	Utaka 24'	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,205 Referee: Andre Marriner

27 April 2008 36	Portsmouth	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	Portsmouth, Hampshire
13:30		Report	Santa Cruz 74'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 18,722 Referee: Mike Riley

3 May 2008 37	Middlesbrough	2–0	Portsmouth	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
	Riggott 40' Şanlı 53'	Report		Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 24,828 Referee: Peter Walton

11 May 2008 38	Portsmouth	0–1	Fulham	Portsmouth, Hampshire
15:00		Report	Murphy 76'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,582 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Table


Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Manchester United !Manchester United (C)	38	27	6	5	80	22	+58	87	2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group stage
2	Chelsea !Chelsea	38	25	10	3	65	26	+39	85	2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group stage
3	Arsenal !Arsenal	38	24	11	3	74	31	+43	83	2008–09 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round
4	Liverpool !Liverpool	38	21	13	4	67	28	+39	76	2008–09 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round
5	Everton !Everton	38	19	8	11	55	33	+22	65	2008–09 UEFA Cup First round
6	Aston Villa !Aston Villa	38	16	12	10	71	51	+20	60	2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round
7	Blackburn Rovers !Blackburn Rovers	38	15	13	10	50	48	+2	58
8	Portsmouth !Portsmouth	38	16	9	13	48	40	+8	57	2008–09 UEFA Cup First round ¹
9	Manchester City !Manchester City	38	15	10	13	45	53	−8	55	2008–09 UEFA Cup First qualifying round ²
10	West Ham United !West Ham United	38	13	10	15	42	50	−8	49
11	Tottenham Hotspur !Tottenham Hotspur	38	11	13	14	66	61	+5	46	2008–09 UEFA Cup First round ³
12	Newcastle United !Newcastle United	38	11	10	17	45	65	−20	43
13	Middlesbrough !Middlesbrough	38	10	12	16	43	53	−10	42
14	Wigan Athletic !Wigan Athletic	38	10	10	18	34	51	−17	40
15	Sunderland !Sunderland	38	11	6	21	36	59	−23	39
16	Bolton Wanderers !Bolton Wanderers	38	9	10	19	36	54	−18	37
17	Fulham !Fulham	38	8	12	18	38	60	−22	36
18	Reading !Reading (R)	38	10	6	22	41	66	−25	36	Relegation to 2008–09 Football League Championship
19	Birmingham City !Birmingham City (R)	38	8	11	19	46	62	−16	35
20	Derby County !Derby County (R)	38	1	8	29	20	89	−69	11

Source: Barclays Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
¹ via 2007–08 FA Cup
² via UEFA Fair Play ranking (0.8 of a point ahead of Fulham)
³ via 2007-08 Football League Cup
For further information on European qualification see Premier League – Competition
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

FA Cup

Opposing Team	For	Against	Date	Venue	Round
Ipswich Town	1	0	5 January 2008	Portman Road, Ipswich	Third round
Plymouth Argyle	2	1	26 January 2008	Fratton Park, Portsmouth	Fourth round
Preston North End	1	0	17 February 2008	Deepdale, Preston	Fifth round
Manchester United	1	0	8 March 2008	Old Trafford, Manchester	Sixth round
West Bromwich Albion	1	0	5 April 2008	Wembley Stadium, London	Semi-final
Cardiff City	1	0	17 May 2008	Wembley Stadium, London	Final

League Cup

Opposing Team	For	Against	Date	Venue	Round
Leeds United	3	1	28 August 2007	Fratton Park, Portsmouth	Second round
Burnley	1	0	25 September 2008	Turf Moor, Burnley	Third round
Blackburn Rovers	1	2	30 October 2008	Fratton Park, Portsmouth	Fourth round

Top scorers

Premier League

Benjani – 12
Jermain Defoe – 7
Sulley Muntari – 4
Niko Kranjčar – 3
Nwankwo Kanu – 3
John Utaka – 3

External links

2007–08 Portsmouth F.C. season at ESPN

↑ http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2007-2008/faprem/portsm.htm
↑ Aubey was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, but also qualified to represent France internationally and has represented them at level. However, he later chose to represent the country of his birth and would make his full international debut for the Republic of the Congo in August 2009.
↑ Mvuemba was born in Alençon, France, but also qualified to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo internationally and made his full international debut for the DR Congo in 2005.
↑ Begović was born in Trebinje, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina), but also qualified to represent Canada internationally and has represented Canada at youth level. However, he later chose to represent the country of his birth and made his full international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2009.
↑ Songo'o was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, but also qualified to represent France internationally and has represented them at youth level. However, he later chose to represent the country of his birth and made his full international debut for Cameroon in September 2008.
↑ Traoré was born in Saint-Ouen, France, but also qualified to represent Mali internationally and made his international debut for Mali in 2004.
↑ O'Brien was born in Harrogate, England, and has represented England at youth level, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2001.
↑ Wilson was born in Aghagallon, Northern Ireland and has represented Northern Ireland at schoolboy level, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented them at youth level before going on to make his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland in February 2011.

Portsmouth F.C. seasons

1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30

1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40

1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50

1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60

1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70

1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80

1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90

1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 99–2000

2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10

2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

2007–08 in English football

« 2006–07

2008–09 »

FA competitions

Premier League and
Football League

Premier League
Football League (Championship, League One, League Two)
League Cup (Final)
Football League Trophy (Final)
Play–offs (Championship, League One, League Two)

Football Conference

Lower leagues

European competitions

Related to national team

Club seasons

Premier League	Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Chelsea Derby County Everton Fulham Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Middlesbrough Newcastle United Portsmouth Reading Sunderland Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Wigan Athletic

Championship	Barnsley Blackpool Bristol City Burnley Cardiff City Charlton Athletic Colchester United Coventry City Crystal Palace Hull City Ipswich Town Leicester City Norwich City Plymouth Argyle Preston North End Queens Park Rangers Scunthorpe United Sheffield United Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Stoke City Watford West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers

League One	Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Albion Bristol Rovers Carlisle United Cheltenham Town Crewe Alexandra Doncaster Rovers Gillingham Hartlepool United Huddersfield Town Leeds United Leyton Orient Luton Town Millwall Northampton Town Nottingham Forest Oldham Athletic Port Vale Southend United Swansea City Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers Walsall Yeovil Town

League Two	Accrington Stanley Barnet Bradford City Brentford Bury Chester City Chesterfield Dagenham & Redbridge Darlington Grimsby Town Hereford United Lincoln City Macclesfield Town Mansfield Town Milton Keynes Dons Morecambe Notts County Peterborough United Rochdale Rotherham United Shrewsbury Town Stockport County Wrexham Wycombe Wanderers

Conference Premier	Aldershot Town Altrincham Burton Albion Cambridge United Crawley Town Droylsden Ebbsfleet United Exeter City Farsley Celtic Forest Green Rovers Grays Athletic Halifax Town Histon Kidderminster Harriers Northwich Victoria Oxford United Rushden & Diamonds Salisbury City Stafford Rangers Stevenage Borough Torquay United Weymouth Woking York City

Others	AFC Wimbledon Gateshead Newport County

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