CATASTROPHE; It's rocky for Ricky as Sunderland are dragged into the relegation scrap.

Byline: DARREN LEWIS 

THEY were the goals that summed up perfectly why Sunderland's bid to stay up will go to the wire this weekend. And even though the Black Cats are still favourites to avoid being pulled down to the Championship, there can be no room for the complacency that left previous boss Roy Keane tearing his hair out.

This was a desperate performance from a team that have now won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches.

It all started so well for Ricky Sbragia when he took over from Keane in December.

But the truth is that some of these players needed the kick up the tradesman's entrance that Keane had been giving them because this cannot be the standard that this great club is willing to accept.

What must stick in the craw for Wearside fans is that they actually took the lead through a superb bit of finishing from Kenwyne Jones.

When Phil Bardsley crossed from the right on 59 minutes the ball sailed over the head of Sol Campbell and Jones stroked it low into the bottom corner without breaking stride. Asmir Begovic, making his debut in the Pompey goal, had no chance. Yet after that goal the Blacks Cats simply collapsed.

Just 60 seconds later Calum Davenport was left isolated in his attempt to stave off the power of Nigerian striker John Utaka. Utaka held him off to power a fabulous right-foot drive into the bottom corner.

Eight minutes later Anton Ferdinand failed to deal with a long clearance from Begovic, Utaka nipped in to round the keeper and Bardsley's desperate tackle turned the ball into his own net.

Jones then blew two cracking chances to level, first shooting into the body of Begovic from five yards, then blazing over from a similar range before substitute Armand Traore sealed their fate with a superb third goal.

The loan winger from Arsenal cut inside from the left and smashed a shot through Bardsley's legs to leave keeper Martin Fulop with no chance and cap a miserable night for the defender. Sunday will now be one of the most tense days in the history of the Premier League as Sunderland join three clubs in relegation trouble.

Just as Portsmouth's second goal flew in, the Black Cats chairman Niall Quinn glanced at his watch nervously and, make no mistake, the club's time could be up if Hull and Newcastle produce some last day heroics.

It will leave Quinn wishing he had been more decisive in bringing in a more experienced man to succeed Keane. Well liked though Sbragia may be, his team cannot defend and cannot score goals - their solitary strike last night was only their fifth in 12 games.

The Sunderland boss said: "We passed it well and we created some chances but it's the same old story. The disappointing thing for me was that we were 1-0 up and we should have been stronger in that position but the first and the second goals killed us.

Sunderland Hull Newcastle Middlesbro WBA "We just have to be desperate to stay in the Premier League on Sunday. It's going to be a difficult day for us but it's up to the players once they go over the line."

PORTSMOUTH: Begovic 7, Johnson 9, Campbell 7, Distin 7, Hreidarsson 7, Utaka 8, Davis 7, Mullins 7, Hughes 4 (Traore 45, 7), Kanu 5 (Kaboul 45, 7), Crouch 6. SUNDERLAND: Fulop 7, Bardsley 6, Davenport 6, Ferdinand 7, Collins 7, Tainio 6, Malbranque 6(Edwards 54), Whitehead 7, Leadbitter 7, Richardson 6, Jones 8. REF: Alan Wiley ATT: 20,398 /Can Shearer engineer the Toon's Great Escape? Page 57

CAPTION(S):

UTAKA THAT! Portsmouth's John Utaka wheels away after scoring the equaliser IT'S GLOOMY Kenwyne Jones