Green denies Pompey victory

Danny Gabbidon was ruled to have handled just inside the area by referee Mike Dean.

After Pompey players appeared to argue over who should take the spot-kick, Green rendered all debate irrelevant with a save from the Zimbabwe international.

Pompey missed the opportunity to climb into the top four with a win but it could have been a lot worse.

Nolberto Solano, West Ham's hero last week when he launched victory from the bench, ruined two gilt-edged chances to score with the goal gaping in front of him. Meanwhile, Green made super saves from Niko Kranjcar (twice) and Benjani - the league's top scorer with five in his last three games.

Referee Mike Dean was forced to take action to calm a silly feud between the abrasive Craig Bellamy and Pompey's Hermann Hreidarsson.

Their pushing match at a corner was just one of a series of clashes and Dean booked them both after Bellamy looked to have flicked a boot at Hreidarsson.

The deadlock should have been broken when Carlton Cole's second attempt to cross from the left found Solano sneaking in behind Pompey's defence. But the Peruvian failed to make contact with his head in front of a gaping goal. His second attempt was even more gilt-edged in the 65th minute.

Matt Etherington and George McCartney cleverly set up Cole for a blast which came back off the junction of near-post and bar, leaving Solano again with an empty goal.

But his attempt at a flying header was a travesty and he succeeded in only heading, almost comically, into the turf with the gaping goal at his mercy.