Kanu leaves Portsmouth on brink of safety

Portsmouth moved to the brink of Premier League safety after a dramatic 1-0 win over Bolton at Fratton Park on Saturday.

A match that looked to be headed for a goalless stalemate was settled after Pompey had suffered the loss of key midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who was stretchered off 15 minutes from time with what looked like a serious injury.

The loss of the Croatian international will hit Portsmouth hard over what remains of the season but it was his replacement, Nadir Belhadj, who ensured that one more win should be enough to keep the south coast club in the top flight.

With his first touch of the ball, Belhadj delivered a wickedly inswinging corner that veteran Nigerian playmaker Nwankwo Kanu glanced over the line.

It was no more than Pompey deserved after dominating the match and Bolton would have been behind much earlier but for an inspired performance by Jussi Jaaskelainen, who produced three fine saves before half-time to frustrate England defender Glen Johnson, who was performing with aplomb in a midfield role.

It would be very surprising if Kranjcar’s season is not over. The Croatian went down in agony after a challenge from Gavin McCann, who was booked and could easily have been handed a more severe sanction.

There was no late rally from Bolton and Belhadj and Peter Crouch could easily have added to Pompey’s lead during six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the match.