Merson leads by example

Millwall 0 Portsmouth 5

Portsmouth are running their challenge for a Premiership place with the confidence and style of already crowned champions. Millwall, with this fifth successive defeat, are running on empty.

"It was all over by half time,'' Mark McGhee, the Millwall manager, said. So it was. They were 4-0 down and it could have been worse. "My message at the interval,'' he added, "was: 'Don't go back out if you don't fancy it'.''

At least they conceded only one further goal, a penalty from the peerless Paul Merson, but later Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp rightly talked about his team's "fantastic performance which puts us in a great position''.

Merson cruised his way through the early surface water and imposed his eloquent and powerful presence with a slithering ground shot that Tony Warner managed to hold. That was a mere rehearsal. Following a long free-kick by Tim Sherwood, Kevin Harper rolled the ball inside and Merson looked like accepting it but instead let it run on for Yakubu Ayegbeni to shoot inside the far post.

Portsmouth's slick movement and Millwall's slovenly defending combined to bring a sense of impending embarrassment. Sure enough, after 25 minutes, Merson put a beautiful through pass to Svetoslav Todorov. He turned the ball inside and Ayegbeni accepted his second goal.

The half-hour had only just passed when Millwall again found themselves floundering. Harper centred, Sherwood found himself offered yards and headed beyond Warner for the third. Naturally, Dennis Wise took it badly and got into a brawl with Nigel Quashie and was lucky to receive only a yellow card.

Matters only got worse for Millwall. On the approach to half-time, Todorov was again allowed to take possession too easily but at least Robbie Ryan and Darren Ward tried to close him down. He side-stepped one, slipped the second and blasted in the fourth.

Millwall raised a whisker of defiance by forcing Shaka Hislop to tip over a long, purposeful drive from Ryan but, in reply, Portsmouth talked proper football. The popular Richard Sadlier replaced Steve Claridge for his first appearance for Millwall since a hip operation early in the season but the situation was far beyond his redemption. Admittedly, Christophe Kinet hit the post with a free-kick and Millwall raised a ripple of attack, but Portsmouth could allow them to forage.

The home crowd, who had not been all that happy with recent performances, were restless. That became a shuffle home for many when Paul Robinson tripped Ayegbeni and Merson stepped forward to slam in the penalty.

Indeed, Merson throughout was an inspiration to his younger colleagues who responded in the same keen spirit and tried to emulate his mastery. The 34-year-old left the field to a standing ovation from Millwall's fans – a rare, if not unique, experience at The Den.

Millwall 0 Portsmouth 5
Ayegbeni 15, 25, Sherwood 31, Todorov 45, Merson pen 72

Half-time: 0-4 Attendance: 9,697