Bristol City show no mercy on New Year's Day, hitting the Blues for 5 at Ashton Gate.
Despite ending 2025 with a dramatic last-gasp win over Charlton Athletic just 3 days ago, it was a poor performance by Pompey, who stay only just 1 point above the bottom 3.
First-half goals by Adam Randell and a fourth goal in just over a year against Portsmouth for Anis Mehmeti, followed by second-half goals by Scott Twine and a brace by Sinclair Armstrong, earned Bristol City the 3 points at Ashton Gate.
There were 4 changes to the side that defeated Charlton Athletic on Monday night.
Conor Shaughnessy made his first start since September and was in for Hayden Matthews, John Swift and Luke Le Roux came in for the absent Márk Kosznovszky and Marlon Pack, while Ibane Bowat replaced Harvey Blair.
Jacob Farrell was also included in the match-day squad for the first time this season in the league, while former Moneyfields loanee striker Tayo Singerr was also given a spot on the bench.
The Robins took the lead inside just 11 minutes, when Randell punted home a cleared Blues header from Scott Twine’s free-kick, to make it 1-0.
City then doubled their lead, after Nicolas Schmid played the ball out from the back, where he unfortunately lost the ball to Mehmeti, who played a quick 1-2 with Captain Jason Knight, before firing the ball past Schmid to make it 2-0 on 24 minutes.
HALF-TIME: Bristol City 2-0 Portsmouth
There was one change at half-time, with Luke Le Roux coming off for Harvey Blair, which caused a change in system, with a back-four being implemented instead for the remainder of the 90 minutes.
However, the change in formation made no difference for Pompey, who eventually went on to concede a third via Scott Twine, who finished off Neto Borges’ left-footed cross to make it 3-0 just 50 minutes on the clock.
Gerhard Struber made a triple change for City, with Yū Hirakawa, Sam Bell, and Sinclair Armstrong coming on for Ross McCrorie, Twine, and Emil Riis.
The hosts then dampened Pompey’s start to 2026 even more, when Armstrong made it 4-0, after Bowat’s heavy touch was intercepted by Bell, who placed the ball across to Armstrong, who comfortably fired home a fourth goal with not even an hour played.
It was then a triple change made by Mousinho, who took no chances on Shaughnessy, who was replaced by Hayden Matthews, Jordan Williams for Zak Swanson, and Connor Chaplin for Terry Devlin.
Tayo Singerr was Pompey’s fifth and final change of the afternoon, with the former Moneyfields loanee coming on for Makenzie Kirk to make his Football League debut.
Armstrong then doubled his tally for the day inside the additional four minutes of added time, when the Irish forward sliced home Hirakawa’s lay-off to make it 5-0 and dampen the blow for Pompey just that little more.
FULL-TIME: Bristol City 5-0 Portsmouth
Next up: It’s back to PO4 for the first time in 2026 for John Mousinho’s side, who welcome Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town to Fratton Park on Sunday.
The Tractor Boys are now up to second in the Championship and come into the weekend off the back of a 2-0 win away at the top of the table Coventry City and a 2-1 win at home to Oxford United on the first day of the New Year.
In the reverse fixture, it was a 2-1 defeat at Portman Road for Pompey, with Marlon Pack’s late consolation not being enough to cancel out first-half goals from Jaden Philogene and ex-Blues loanee George Hirst.
Bristol City: 1. O’Leary (GK), 19. Tanner, 14. Vyner, 5. Atkinson (3. Pring), 2. McCrorie (7. Hirakawa), 12. Knight (C) (29. Pecover), 4. Randell, 21. Borges, 11. Mehmeti, 10. Twine (20. Bell), 18. Riis (30. Armstrong) (Formation: 3-4-2-1)
Unused subs: 31. Lumley (GK), 16. Dickie, 24. Roberts, 34. Meerholz
Goals: Randell 11’, Mehmeti 24’, Twine 50’, Armstrong 59’ & 90+3’
Head coach: Gerhard Struber
Portsmouth: 1. Schmid (GK), 24. Devlin (36. Chaplin), 5. Poole (C) 6. Shaughnessy (14. Matthews), 17. Bowat, 22. Swanson (2. Williams), 16. Le Roux (29. Blair), 21. Dozzell, 8. Swift, 10. Segečic, 25. Kirk (46. Singerr) (Formation: 3-4-2-1)
Unused subs: 26. Bursik (GK), 15. Umeh, 19. Farrell, 47. Minhyeok
Bookings: Le Roux 22’
Head coach: John Mousinho
Referee: James Bell
Venue: Ashton Gate
Attendance: 24,649 (including 2,464 Pompey fans)
Today's Pompey Live: Extra-Time podcast is now ready to download and listen back to! Jake Smith, Kirsty Roxanne and Kev Stokes were up in Bristol to provide the analysis.
The next instalment of The Football Hour on Express FM comes this Friday (January 2nd) evening from 6pm - Jake Smith will be joined for that alongside Joe Wood to review the action at Ashton Gate and look ahead to Sunday's match against Ipswich Town at Fratton.
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