Portsmouth's Championship survival prospects suffered another blow as they fell to a 2-1 home defeat against Swansea City, with Ethan Galbraith and Josh Key striking from the edge of the area to secure a precious away win. The visitors belied their recent away-day struggles to take control before the break and left the south coast within five points of the Championship play-off places.
Jacob Brown, on loan from Luton, hit the post early on and later headed in to halve the deficit and end Portsmouth's recent barren run in front of their own fans, sparking a late surge. But Swansea held firm under sustained pressure, with Lawrence Vigouroux making vital late saves, to condemn John Mousinho's side to a fifth defeat in their last eight league games and a third successive home league loss for the first time since 2018, leaving them 19th and four points above the relegation zone.
Swansea's First-Half Control Silences Fratton Park
Although Portsmouth carved out the first clear opening, the early stages underlined both sides' threat. The Championship's leading goalscorer Zan Vipotnik twice went close for Swansea, first lifting a low cross over the bar from the right and then sending a header too high from the opposite flank. At the other end, a clever corner routine released Brown on the edge of the box, his first-time shot pushed onto the post by Vigouroux, with the rebound dropping kindly into the goalkeeper's hands.