Portsmouth got the three points. Nobody at Fratton Park on Wednesday night would pretend they deserved them quite so comfortably.

Pompey led 2-0 against a Sheffield United side reduced to ten men, then watched that advantage dissolve before a late winner restored order and spared the home crowd a miserable evening. The final score of 3-2 flatters nobody, but the points column does not ask how.

A pattern that worries Pompey supporters

The nervousness runs deeper than one game. According to fan writer Tom Chappell, reflecting on the evening for BBC Sport, Portsmouth have now produced two poor consecutive 45-minute spells while holding a numerical advantage. Surrendering a two-goal lead to ten men is one thing; doing it in back-to-back fixtures demands serious examination from the coaching staff.

The first half offered little comfort even before the opener arrived, with Pompey struggling to impose themselves despite carrying the psychological weight of a south coast derby defeat just four days earlier. The mood inside the ground was tense long before Sheffield United had pegged it back to 2-2.

When it mattered, Portsmouth found a way

What saved the evening, and what offered a genuine reason for optimism, was the response. At 2-2, Portsmouth did not retreat or accept a draw. They pushed, found the winner, and showed a belief that Chappell suggests has been absent in similar moments earlier in the season. There have been stretches this campaign when Pompey looked incapable of scoring however long the game ran; Wednesday night briefly, at least, looked different.

Three players stood out in particular. Seventeen-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen continued a remarkable run of performances that has left supporters searching for superlatives. Zak Swanson delivered another high-quality display at right back. Jojo Dia, meanwhile, produced what supporters inside Fratton Park considered his most convincing showing in a Portsmouth shirt.

No time to reflect: a brutal schedule awaits

Portsmouth have no time to pick apart the performance in training. A third game in six days follows, with a trip to Norwich next before a midweek fixture away to Wolverhampton. The Championship's calendar is relentless, and any defensive frailty that surfaced against Sheffield United will face fresh examination very quickly on the road.

For Sheffield United, the defeat continues a difficult period in the Championship. Chris Wilder's side found themselves reduced to ten men and still managed to pull level before eventually running out of time. The Blades will feel the manner of the game offers something to build on, even as the result adds to their problems in the table.

Three points, plenty to fix

Portsmouth took the win. In a division as compressed and unforgiving as the Championship, that is the only currency that matters. But the manner of the victory will fuel debate among supporters heading into the Norwich game: a team that concedes a two-goal lead at home against ten men cannot afford to carry those habits through a stretch of fixtures this demanding.

The character to score a late winner is real. The defensive lapses that made it necessary are equally real. Pompey's next few days on the road will test which of those truths defines this team right now.

Frequently asked

What was the score between Portsmouth and Sheffield United?
Portsmouth won 3-2 at home to Sheffield United in a Championship match on Wednesday night, coming from 2-2 to score a late winner.
Who scored for Portsmouth against Sheffield United?
The source does not confirm the individual scorers, but standout performers included Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Zak Swanson and Jojo Dia.
When is Portsmouth's next Championship game?
Portsmouth face Norwich away as their next fixture, the third game in six days, before a midweek trip to Wolverhampton.