Portsmouth Women 1 Newcastle United Women 2 | OneFootball

United stormed into an early lead when Jordan Nobbs thumbed home an impressive strike after Shania Hayles’ smart flick on at the near post; however, they were pegged back midway through the second when Jessie Gale latched onto a short Oona Sevenius back pass.

However, all three points were secured for the Lasses when Jasmine Bull lobbed Jessica Gray, and into her own net under the pressure of Nobbs.

Tanya Oxtoby kept faith in the side which ran out 1-0 winners at the Gateshead International Stadium last time out in the league, naming an unchanged lineup, which provided an instant spark.

After a 676-mile round trip, it only took 120 seconds for United to give Portsmouth a warning sign when a short back pass to Jessica Gray was hit off Shania Hayles but dropped just wide of the post.

United refused to let Portsmouth settle into the game and could have taken the lead before 10 minutes were on the clock, but Nobbs’ ferocious volley after Beth Lumsden’s cross went well over.

It was all Newcastle in the opening exchanges, and Charlotte Wardlaw almost got her first goal for the club when an in-swinging corner evaded Gray’s punch, but luckily for her, United’s number two header over from a few yards out.

However, Newcastle’s dominance was shortly rewarded when a Demi Stokes cross was perfectly flicked on by Hayles to Nobbs, who, after seeing the ball bounce three times, thumped her effort past Gray before she could dive.

It was almost a wonderful second before the half-hour mark when Molly Pike won the ball high up the pitch before attempting a lob from 25 yards out but was only denied by the crossbar with Gray back pedalling.

While United largely dominated the first half, Portsmouth looked to be pressing higher and getting on the ball a lot more, which saw them carve out their first chance of the game when Meg Horny glanced a free header wide of Tamminen’s post.

Pompey’s bravery on and off the ball in the second half forced Oona Sevenius into a pass back to Tamminen, which was intercepted by Gale, who rounded United’s number one to level things up.

After a period of trying to regain control of the game and assert their dominance once more, it was a Portsmouth error that almost saw the Lasses retake the lead.

A low Nobbs cross was sliced behind by a Pompey defender, but only to the feet of Hayles, who found herself unmarked in the six-yard box but could only direct her close-range effort wide.

Newcastle saw their lead restored with six minutes of the 90 left to play, and it came in fortunate circumstances as a Lumsden slightly overhit her pass to Nobbs, Bull looked to pass it back to her keeper, but instead lobbed her and found the back of the net.

It was an end-of-the-game to forget for Pompey, who were reduced to 10 players when Isobel Collins’ rash challenge on Lumsden saw her pick up a second yellow card in added time.

Newcastle United Women: Anna Tamminen, Charlotte Wardlaw, Demi Stokes, Jordan Nobbs, Shania Hayles (Elysia Boddy 80), Molly Pike (Emily Murphy 68), Deanna Cooper, Oona Sevenius (Freya Gregory 73), Lois Joel, Aoife Mannion, Beth Lumsden

Subs not used: Claudia Moan, Jemma Purfield, Jasmine McQuade, Amelia Freeman