Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

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Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

Gary Rowett expressed his frustrations following Saturday’s 1-0 away defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

2026-04-19T09:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

19 Apr, 2026

Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

Gary Rowett expressed his frustrations following Saturday’s 1-0 away defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Sam Jones

2026-04-19T09:00+01:00

Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

Gary Rowett expressed his frustrations following Saturday’s 1-0 away defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Sam Jones

2026-04-19T09:00+01:00

Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

Gary Rowett expressed his frustrations following Saturday’s 1-0 away defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Sam Jones

2026-04-19T09:00+01:00

Rowett ‘Deeply Frustrated’ After Pompey Defeat

Gary Rowett expressed his frustrations following Saturday’s 1-0 away defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Sam Jones

2026-04-19T09:00+01:00

Leicester City were beaten 1-0 by Portsmouth in the Sky Bet Championship
Manager Gary Rowett gave his verdict on the reverse at Fratton Park
A second-half strike from Ibane Bowat proved to be the difference on the south coast
Just three matches remain, with Hull City and Millwall at home to come next week

Assessing the defeat on the south coast, Rowett believes there was little in the game but pointed to City’s lack of cutting edge, combined with the handling of Portsmouth’s set piece goal, turned in by Ibane Bowat, as crucial factors in coming away empty handed.

“I felt it was always going to be a game that was quite attritional, a difficult game,” he told us post-match. “You wondered whether it would come down to set pieces or moments where you have to do well in the Championship to compete.

“Coming to a place like Portsmouth, you have to stand firm. I thought we navigated the game quite well without really settling down and playing our football. Twenty minutes before half-time we started to settle a little bit and got the ball and moved it around, without perhaps the quality in the final third that I believe the team has got.

“We didn’t really show that. But they are a team that keep you honest and keep making you defend. The second half was similar. I felt we started in a similar fashion. The frustration is that we concede a set piece, with absolutely nothing in the game.

“I don’t think there’s a difference between the teams really. I didn’t think they created many chances at that point and we didn’t either. A goal goes in from four yards out. We need to defend that and deal with it better. That’s been our Achilles heel for most of the season and certainly the last period of games.

“And then we actually chase the game okay. I don’t think our mentality was terrible. We created some good moments. Hamza [Choudhury] has one [in the] first half, Jannik [Vestergaard] has one, Pato (Patson Daka) has a header saved and a one-vs-one with the ‘keeper.

“These are the areas that if you don’t take one of those chances, and you don’t get your head on a set piece, it’s very difficult to win games of football in this division. I'm deeply frustrated once again that there’s nothing in the game and we end up coming away with zero points.”

Photo 1/21

Match imagery from our Sky Bet Championship clash with Pompey on the South Coast.

Leicester remain 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship, eight points adrift of safety following back-to-back losses and other results later in the day, with just three matches now remaining this season. Hull City will visit King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.

“We’re running out of time,” the Manager admitted. “It’s the moments in the game that we don’t seem to be able to see out for 90 minutes. When you come to this place, there’ll be moments when they put you under pressure and you’ve got to deal with it. It’s as simple as that. Of course, they get a set piece and that’s the difference.

“Teams are happy to do that. We’ve got to deal with it. At the moment it seems like we have to score the perfect goal, if we’re not going to deal with every set piece. It’s frustrating but we have to remain professional.

“I feel sorry for the fans. When you travel in such numbers, particularly at this time when everything is so expensive, spending their hard earned money coming to follow us.

“I wish I had more to say to them. I’m so frustrated with this period of games. It’s almost a little bit embarrassing that they are following us and we haven’t given them anything to shout about really in terms of results. I can only apologise for that.

“We might still have another opportunity. All we can do is keep going and hope that other teams start doing us a favour, but at some point, we’re going to have to win a game. If we don’t soon, of course it’s going to be over pretty quickly.

“It’s another game that felt like it was a must-win. They are going to be disappointed and dejected. I think the only thing that gives you a belief is a win. Unless we believe as a group that we can do something, I certainly believe we’re good enough to win games of football.

“I’m quite amazed we haven’t won more than we have, because our performances, overall, the chances that we’ve created, have certainly been enough to win games, but we concede soft, silly goals. We’ve spoken about that and it was another one today.”

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