King has last word to puncture Pompey pride

An injury-time equaliser from on-loan striker Marlon King saw Middlesbrough snatch a 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Portsmouth at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Pompey had victory in their sights in the closing moments thanks to Peter Crouch’s first-half volley, only for 10-man Boro to level the scores as King fired home after David James’ top-class save.

There was still time for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves to have grabbed an unlikely winner for Gareth Southgate’s side but this time James had the last word with a brilliant block.

Boro had only just lost Matthew Bates to a red card for two bookings, the second for a wretched dive.

Portsmouth’s players were left slumped on the ground at the final whistle but their point was enough to see them climb above Stoke and out of the bottom three.

It had all started so well for the visitors, refreshed from a short break in Dubai, when they went ahead on the half-hour.

The goal was partially self-inflicted in that Boro lost concentration at a short corner, allowing Glen Johnson to pick up the ball and chip a short pass for Crouch to shoot home from the edge of the box.

Middlesbrough desperately tried to up their game after the break but, as the home crowd’s frustration increased, Bates went into the book for a nasty-looking high tackle on Niko Kranjcar.

James made a spectacular save to claw away Tuncay Sanli’s header from substitute Adam Johnson’s cross just when it seemed the Turkish forward had grabbed an equaliser.

Southgate’s final throw of the dice was to send on Alves but the hosts’ fate looked sealed when Bates picked up a second yellow for a clear dive under challenge by Richard Hughes.

But the dismissal seemed to inspire Boro and they threatened several times in the closing minutes.

James looked to have pulled off another tremendous save to keep out Tony McMahon’s header only for King to volley home from eight yards two minutes into added on time.

Alves then had the chance to grab a cruel winner when put through one-on-one against James but the England keeper denied him at the last.