Birmingham 2 - 0 Portsmouth

Birmingham 2-0 Portsmouth

Updated: September 27, 2003, 12:18 PM ET

Steve Bruce's Birmingham are now rubbing shoulders with the Premiership hierarchy after maintaining their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth.

Goals either side of half-time from Stephen Clemence and Stan Lazaridis means City are now up to the giddy heights of fourth in the top flight, with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United above them.

In despatching Portsmouth, the Blues have won four and drawn two of their opening six league matches, surpassing their previous best set 55 years ago.

The victory was an essential one for Birmingham and Bruce, who had been appalled by his side's Carling Cup demise at Blackpool, one of the few shocks of the second round, and had stressed the need to exorcise any demons following the dire display.

Bruce's desire was understandable as United, Chelsea and bitter rivals Aston Villa - certain to be chasing revenge following last season's double humiliation - are up next for the Blues.

The foundations have at least been laid for bar the disastrous trip to the seaside, City will now put their unbeaten record on the line against Sir Alex Ferguson's and Claudio Ranieri's title hopefuls.

For Pompey boss Harry Redknapp, his charges are also facing a transitional period of their season for their own unbeaten start to the campaign has been tarnished by back-to-back league defeats in the space of eight days.

Their Carling Cup mauling of Northampton in midweek has only softened the blow, but of concern to Redknapp will be the fact his side did not show their potential until two goals adrift.

They, like Birmingham, started the game scrappily, with the first half centring around a five-minute spell in which City could easily have taken a 3-0 lead, but with Bruce having to be content with just one goal by the break.

Both sides had tussled and toiled for the opening 20 minutes with little to show for their exertions until the game was finally brought to life soon after.

It took a precise dead-ball delivery from Lazaridis, his free-kick drilled to the far post from just inside the Portsmouth area, to unravel the visitors defence.

Redknapp's side could be accused of ball watching for Clemence was allowed to slide in and sidefoot home the opener beyond Shaka Hislop.

Just two minutes later and Christophe Dugarry, rested in midweek, worked his magic inside the Pompey area as he teased and tormented, but his pull-back was behind the advancing and wide-open Lazaridis.

The groans of the home crowd told the story, with the despair doubling in intensity moments later for from a Lazaridis corner, Dugarry was on target with a firm header, only to be denied by former Villa star Steve Stone as he cleared off the line.

Pompey were lucky to still be in the game by the half-hour mark, yet they steadied the ship, although chances were hard to come by as City underlined just why they had kept four clean sheets in their previous five league matches.

Left-winger Matthew Taylor did manage to get round the back of the Blues rearguard at one stage, delivering a piercing low ball into the area which had too much pace on it for an arriving Sheringham as his faint touch was flicked wide.

Pompey eventually breached the home defence five minutes before the break with a Sheringham pass, from a Sebastian Schemmel cross, into the path of Yakubu Ayegbeni.

The Nigerian went on to round Taylor and slide the ball into an empty net, but the linesman's flag was already raised before it had crossed the line, much to Pompey's disappointment as the decision was a close one.

The decisive blow was landed five minutes after the interval with Dugarry finding Clemence whose ball over the top was picked up by a lively Lazaridis who then placed his shot past an advancing Hislop.

Portsmouth fought back, but a smart save from Taylor from Alexei Smertin's stinging drive and a thunderous effort from Sheringham which cracked the right-hand post, was in vain as the visitors suffered their first away defeat of the season.