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Colby Bishop fired a second-half winner as Portsmouth beat the Championship leaders, Leeds, 1-0 at Fratton Park.
After their promotion rivals Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland won on Saturday, Leeds’s 17-match unbeaten league run stretching back to November ended through a combination of poor finishing and impressive goalkeeping from Nicolas Schmid.
Portsmouth have won four of their past five matches and are now 10 points above the relegation zone. They boast the best home record in the Championship this calendar year and Bishop’s strike ensured Leeds became their latest victims.
Leeds thought they should have had an early penalty when Matt Ritchie kicked through the back of Dan James’s legs but the only shot of note of the first half-hour was a heavily deflected effort from Freddie Potts.
Portsmouth were grateful for a double save by Schmid in the 39th minute. Solomon turned and hit through a crowded penalty box to force the Austrian into a diving stop to the right and Schmid denied Joël Piroe’s point-blank follow up from the rebound with his feet.
Piroe had a second golden chance of the match within five minutes of the second half getting under way. James and Solomon combined before the latter rounded Schmid to pull back to Piroe. But the striker lacked composure from seven yards and blasted over the bar.
Portsmouth began to dominate as Josh Murphy twice had shots deflected just wide and Bishop could not divert a pacy low cross in.
The home side’s pressure paid off in the 61st minute when Connor Ogilvie’s ball down the left channel picked out Bishop, who split the two centre backs before clipping a shot over Illan Meslier and in off the far post to score his sixth goal of the season.
Portsmouth were in command now and almost doubled their lead as Andre Dozzell unleashed a 25-yard thunderbolt which Meslier parried away and Ogilvie nodded a header just wide.
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Schimd came to Portsmouth’s rescue again after Junior Firpo had bundled his way into the box and was one-on-one with the keeper who saved with his feet again.
Firpo then nodded against the crossbar moments later as it began to look as though it was not going to be Leeds’ day in front of goal. While the woodwork was still vibrating at one end, Murphy curled a long-range effort against the outside of the post at the other.
Schmid, who was named player of the match, secured the points for the hosts at the death when he acrobatically tipped over Sam Byram’s header.
