PORTSMOUTH v BLACKBURN MIN-BY-MIN

74 mins: Santa Cruz sees his shot find the net.

Full-time: Portsmouth 0 Blackburn 1

90+5 mins: The full-time whistle goes and Blackburn have a seventh away win of the campaign. It always looked as if one goal would settle it and it was the prolific Santa Cruz who provided it. Blackburn are up to eighth place.

90+4 mins: The corner is headed clear for another. In it comes but Blackburn have a free-kick and the points are surely in the bag for Hughes' men.

90+4 mins: Kranjcar curls in the free-kick and Friedel has to make a smart save from Diarra's header. He can't keep the ball in though and Pompey have a corner.

90+3 mins: Kranjcar is tripped by Warnock, who is shown the yellow card. Before the free-kick is taken, David Dunn replaces Roberts.

90+2 mins: Roberts is caught offside in the Portsmouth area.

90+1 mins: The ball sits up for Johnson just outside the area but he drags his left-foot shot wide of the Rovers post.

90+1 mins: Corner to Portsmouth down the left but they can't make anything of it.

90 mins: Great work by Johnson down the right but his cross is cleared. There will be four minutes to add.

89 mins: Campbell is booked for a little tug on Roberts.

89 mins: Almost a nightmare for Friedel. He controls a back-pass but then dallies as Baros hunts him down before finally getting the ball out of his feet.

88 mins: Free-kick to Blackburn. Bentley and Reid take a short one but the former overruns it.

87 mins: Portsmouth pump a free-kick into the box and Ooijer makes an early contribution with a good defensive clearance.

87 mins: Dutch international Ooijer comes on for the final few minutes.

86 mins: Andre Ooijer is set to come on for the visitors.

86 mins: Blackburn are playing with 10 men for the time being.

85 mins: Samba limps to the touchline and surely he'll have to come off.

84 mins: Kranjcar overruns the ball and clatters into Samba, who needs treatment.

83 mins: Warnock sets up Emerton for a shot on the edge of the box but his effort is charged down.

82 mins: Kranjcar does well to drift infield from the left. He finds Johnson, whose low cross is hit first-time by Defoe but well over the crossbar.

81 mins: Nothing comes from the first corner but they win another. Bentley's low ball in rebounds off two Pompey players and goes for another. This time Blackburn try a shot and, guess what, it's cleared for a fourth in the space of a minute. Finally, the flag goes up and Pompey have the ball back.

80 mins: Defoe goes over in the box as he tries to turn Nelsen but no penalty. Blackburn break and win a corner off Campbell.

80 mins: Emerton drives forward and finds Roberts whose fierce shot is saved by Ashdown and, luckily for Portsmouth, rebounds to safety.

79 mins: Warnock's free-kick falls for Samba in the box but Diop stops him getting in a shot.

78 mins: Portsmouth bring on Milan Baros for Muntari.

77 mins: Pedersen goes down and needs treatment.

76 mins: Blackburn are knocking the ball around confidently now and Johnson does well to take the ball away from Roberts.

75 mins: Santa Cruz tries to play in Roberts but they're not on the same wavelength this time and the ball runs through to Ashdown.

74 mins: GOAL SANTA CRUZ. Just as Pompey are smelling blood, Blackburn break, Roberts lays the ball off to Santa Cruz and the Paraguayan lashes a left-foot shot past Ashdown for his 17th Premier League goal of the season. 1-0 Blackburn.

74 mins: Portsmouth seem to be responding to the urges of the crown and Kranjcar has a dipping effort well saved by Friedel.

73 mins: Muntari can't keep the ball in as Pompey go over the top.

72 mins: Lovely turn by Kanu. He plays it out to Kranjcar who crosses from the left and somehow Muntari fails to convert at the far post although Warnock deserves credit for putting him off.

71 mins: The crowd are trying to lift the home side as the game moves into the final 20 minutes.

70 mins: Defoe is caught offside and he's booked for kicking the ball away.

69 mins: Diop concedes a free-kick 35 yards out. Pedersen goes for goal and Ashdown has to watch the ball carefully as it bounces in front of him. A solid save in the end.

68 mins: Good control from Roberts as he takes down a high ball but Portsmouth are quick into the tackle before he can turn.

67 mins: Bentley's corner drifts into the six-yard box but Pompey just do enough to stop Samba turning the ball towards goal.

66 mins: Kanu is beaten in the air by Nelsen and Blackburn break. Bentley skips past a man and hangs out a cross which Campbell heads behind for a corner.

66 mins: Warnock takes his eye off the ball and it runs out for a throw.

65 mins: Diarra lets fly from 25 yards but he can't get his shot on target.

64 mins: Lauren crosses from the left but Blackburn do well to clear their lines via Vogel and then Bentley.

63 mins: The sun has come out now after heavy rain at the start of the second half.

62 mins: Defoe whips in a cross from the left but Kanu can only get the slightest of touches to it and glances his header well wide.

61 mins: Chance for Portsmouth to get through on goal but the offside flag denies them.

60 mins: Roberts drives towards goal but Distin does enough to put him off and his shot is fairly comfortable for Ashdown.

60 mins: An hour gone and Rovers give the impression that they think they can grab all three points here.

59 mins: Roberts takes a tumble just inside the box after a nudge from Campbell but no penalty for Blackburn. A decent shout.

58 mins: Blackburn press again and Pedersen smashes a shot over the bar.

57 mins: Bentley goes near post, Santa Cruz lets it run and Samba's shot is somehow blocked. It comes back out to Bentley who dinks in a cross and Nelsen has a header tipped wide by Ashdown. Excellent save.

57 mins: Play switches to the other end and Pedersen wins a corner off Johnson.

56 mins: Muntari cuts inside and blasts one with his right foot but it angles wide of the Blackburn goal.

55 mins: Corner to Pompey down the left. They take a short one but scuffed efforts from both Distin and Kranjcar fail to test the goalkeeper.

54 mins: Bentley looks to pull the trigger on the edge of the Portsmouth box but Muntari gets back to nick the ball away from him.

54 mins: Another stoppage as Diop fouls Samba.

53 mins: Warnock fouls Kanu and Pompey have a free-kick in their own half.

52 mins: Warnock drives into the area and Campbell has to stretch out a leg to stop the former Liverpool man getting through on goal.

51 mins: Muntari's low cross is easily cleared with Defoe, who played the ball out to him, hoping for a cut-back.

50 mins: Reid is caught late by Diarra as he curls the ball forward. From the free-kick, Bentley crosses for Nelsen, who heads over the crossbar. Perhaps not a surprise from a player who has never scored for Blackburn.

49 mins: Bentley clips a free-kick to the back post but no-one can get on the end of Santa Cruz's knock-down.

48 mins: Muntari is well offside as Pompey try to pick a way through the middle.

47 mins: Pedersen gets an early whack on the jaw after jumping for a ball with Johnson and play is held up briefly. He's okay to continue though.

46 mins: Portsmouth have brought on Niko Kranjcar for Utaka for the second half as Blackburn get the action under way again.

HT Betting Update: The draw is into 13/10 with Sky Bet after that opening half. Pompey are now 6/4 to win the game, with Blackburn 13/5 shots. The goalless draw has shortened to 5/2 and it would be no surprise to see that result given what has gone so far. As mentioned, Defoe has gone closest to a goal and he's 6/1 to score the opener, 100/30 to net at any time in the second half.

HT: Portsmouth 0 Blackburn 0

45+1 mins: That's the end of the half. It's been a game of few chances. Defoe has gone closest for the hosts but it remains goalless.

45 mins: There will be one added minute.

44 mins: Roberts is unhappy that he's adjudged to have fouled Sol Campbell. Mark Hughes also looks non-plussed on the sidelines.

42 mins: A corner to the hosts comes to nothing.

41 mins: Reid is the first man in the book for a mis-timed sliding tackle on Muntari.

40 mins: A long-range effort from Roberts tests Ashdown in the home goal.

39 mins: Again Defoe goes close. He exchanges passes with Utaka, slightly fortunately, in the box and ten drags a right-foot shot just wide of the target.

37 mins: Defoe strikes just wide. He goes past Ryan Nelsen but then hits a low left-foot shot the wrong side of Friedel's left-hand post.

36 mins: Bentley takes a bang on the head from Diarra's arm. Accidental but play is stopped.

35 mins: Chances are proving to be thin on the ground.

34 mins: A nice back-heel from Bentley sets Blackburn on the attack but the move peters out when Reid's attempted cross goes straight along the floor. His crossing needs to improve.

32 mins: Bentley brusts into the box but when he tries to cross the ball from the left byline, Ashdown is able to grab the ball.

30 mins: Johnson tries to take a quick free kick and goes for goal from inside his own half! He must have spotted Friedel off his line. Whatever, the ref brings play back - he took it too quickly.

29 mins: Free kick to Blackburn on the right flank. Pedersen whips it in well but Distin heads away.

28 mins: Johnson wins the ball well from Pedersen who looked to have escaped his marker in midfield. The in-form full-back will be looking to impressive watching England boss Fabio Capello today.

27 mins: Samba shoots from 25 yards but his piledriver blasts into Diop who makes the block.

26 mins: Ref Riley wants words with Defoe and Johan Vogel this time. The Pompey man caught Vogel, who reacted. Again it's just a talking to.

25 mins: This time Reid sends in a fine cross from the right to the far post. Pedersen climbs above Glen Johnson but can't control his header which goes wide.

24 mins: Bentley plays the ball through but Roberts goes a fraction too soon and the offside goes up.

23 mins: Riley wants a word with Papa Boupa Diop after a late tackle. No cards yet though.

21 mins: Pedersen is down but gets up limping. He'll continue.

20 mins: Defoe tries to scamper onto a long ball but again Reid tracks the run to clear up the danger.

19 mins: Rovers deal with that set-piece easily enough and break upfield.

18 mins: Defoe dink the ball into the box for Kanu to run on to. He does but Reid comes across to knock the ball out. Corner.

17 mins: Pompey threaten. Utaka crosses with pace from the right. Defoe tries to get on the end of it with his head but a good challenge from Christopher Samba sees the ball out for a corner. From the flag kick, the ball is only half cleared. Muntari hits a shot from 20 yards which is diverted over by Kanu, who was offside in any case.

16 mins: Pompey have a trumpeter (not good), a drummer and their usual bell ringer in today. How annyoing.

15 mins: Warnock takes the free kick and hits it long towards Santa Cruz in the box. However, the ball skids off the wet turf and runs out for a goal kick.

14 mins: Bentley is tripped by John Utaka in midfield and ref Mike Riley has a quiet word.

12 mins: Warnock shoots left-footed from the edge of the box but it fails to beat a packed bunch of players in the area and the ball is cleared.

10 mins: Almost the first goal for the visitors and it comes from a nervy moment by Ashdown. Santa Cruz's cross from the right takes a deflection and loops into the air. Morten Gamst Pedersen rises to beat Ashdown to the ball but his header just fails to find the net, drifting wide of the far post.

9 mins: Sulley Muntari decides to try his luck from distance. However, his right-footed effort is sliced and ends up well wide of the target.

8 mins: David Bentley amuses the crowd as he lets a pass go straight under his feet and out for a throw.

7 mins: No real chances as yet. The Pompey fans are in good voice though - Southampton's predicament in the Championship is a popular topic!

5 mins: Lauren tries a cross from the left but that's straight into the arms of keeper Brad Friedel.

4 mins: Steven Reid finds space on the right for Rovers but his attempted cross is truly awful - straight into the home fans behind the goal.

3 mins: Roberts is caught offside as Blackburn attack for the first time.

2 mins: Diarra tries to find Jermain Defoe in the box but te ball is cut out on the edge of the box.

1 min: The hosts win an early corner. From it, Lassana Diarra crosses and Sylvain Distin gets up but fails to control his header which goes well wide.

Kick-off: The blue-shirted Pompey players get the game under way, knowing a win is vital to keep them in the hunt for UEFA Cup qualification via the league. They start the day in seventh place, four points behind fifth-placed Everton.

Pre-match: The full line-ups are now listed below.

Pre-match: Rovers are unchanged from the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. That means Roque Santa Cruz is likely to play on the right-hand side again, with Jason Roberts on his own up front. Benni McCarthy has a hamstring injury so isn't on the bench, Instead Matt Derbyshire provides back up to the strikers.

Pre-match: England goalkeeper David James misses his first Premier League game since

joining Portsmouth at the start of last season. His calf injury means a rare start for Jamie Ashdown whose last league appearance was the 5-0 defeat by Birmingham in January 2006. FA Cup finalists Pompey also rested Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar, only a substitute , but the experienced Kanu is back in attack alongside Jermain Defoe.

Teams:

Portsmouth: Ashdown, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Lauren, Utaka, Diop, Diarra, Muntari, Defoe, Kanu.
Subs: Begovic, Aubey, Baros, Kranjcar, Davis.

Blackburn: Friedel, Reid, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Bentley, Emerton, Vogel, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts.
Subs: Brown, Ooijer, Kerimoglu, Dunn, Derbyshire.

Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)