Portsmouth stormed to a huge Championship win over Coventry City on Saturday thanks to a sensational four-goal display from Callum Lang. The 26-year-old bagged the first quartet of goals from a Pompey player in 20 years after a red hot performance saw him responsible for all of the chances that hit the back of the net.
It was a stunning statement win for John Mousinho’s side in front of a Fratton Park at full volume. Pompey had previously been cast aside by a strong Derby County team, who romped to a 4-0 win at Pride Park. Portsmouth got the weekend underway with their lunchtime triumph, showcasing the clinical finishing of Lang in their 4-1 win.
While Frank Lampard’s side looked to take the game by the scruff of the neck with an early goal, things collapsed for the Chelsea icon. Norman Bassette put Coventry ahead after just three minutes, looking to make it a miserable day for Portsmouth on home soil.
However, Lang levelled the playing field on 14 minutes, before securing his first half brace, followed by two more goals after the break. While it was an afternoon to celebrate for John Mousinho’s side, Lampard was left deflated at full-time.
“I don’t think football should surprise you,” the Coventry boss told Sky Sports after the match. “Good start, go one-up, should be two-up, but you know, that happens as well. Then both the goals and the mistakes. I thought we were okay in the first half because we defended their stuff. They break the game up in the way that they play, they’re effective in the way they play, so we have to give credit to them for the result.
“The first half was okay. At half-time, I felt we could go on and get back in the game but the second half was a complete disappointment. The first half wasn’t a real problem but the second half, how we reacted to the early goal for them was the problem. So I think [this is] probably the first sign for me out of the games we’ve been together of why we are where we are [in the table].
“This league and football generally will always be about character and fight and resilience, before you start talking about tactics and formations. This wasn’t a game for that because of the way Portsmouth approach things, credit to them, but we didn’t react to that and that has to change.”
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