Portsmouth Secures Narrow Victory Over Middlesbrough
Portsmouth secured a narrow home victory, ending Middlesbrough's unbeaten start to the Championship season.
The home side, looking for their first win in four matches, took the lead when Tottenham Hotspur loanee Yang Min-hyeok scored with impressive quality after Middlesbrough failed to clear a couple of attacks.
Middlesbrough struggled to pose a significant threat to the Portsmouth goal, with goalkeeper Jo Bursik not having to make any notable saves during the match.
Prior to kick-off, Boro had dropped to second place in the standings following Coventry City's emphatic victory over Sheffield Wednesday, but remained two points ahead of third-placed Leicester City.
John Mousinho's team started strong, coming close to scoring when Conor Chaplin's close-range shot was blocked and resulted in a corner kick.
Portsmouth took the lead shortly thereafter, with Yang netting his second goal of the week from a low cross by Jordan Williams.
The visitors offered little response before halftime, and after the break, Chaplin drove a shot just past the post.
Middlesbrough attempted to push forward as the match progressed, but Matt Targett's deflected effort, which went wide, was their closest attempt at an equalizer.
Despite starting the weekend at the top of the table, Boro have managed only 12 goals in their nine matches, which is just one more than 20th-placed Derby County.
Middlesbrough will aim to end their three-match winless streak when they host Ipswich Town on Friday, October 17, while Portsmouth will return to action the following day with a trip to promotion-chasing Leicester City.