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A bit too close to what many observers are saying about his career. His manager, though, bridled at such suggestions, preferring to blame Sommeil for poor defending. “David Seaman was terrific for us,” Keegan said of his man.Which takes us from Seaman, once of England, to Joe Cole, wannabe of England. With Keegan, Professor of Attacking Philosophy at Manchester University, in town, there was a gleam in many an eye beforehand as they imagined a combined goal tally to rival the number of Australia’s tries against Namibia. Adrian Mutu and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who fashioned the winner, looked a highly potent combination in the first half-hour, but overall their opportunities were severely restricted by Sylvain Distin and Co.But what of the man behind the City rearguard? He was not overoccupied, but David Seaman’s failure to prevent the goal will provide further ammunition for his detractors.

It wasn’t to be, because of some sterling defensive performances, and not just from Terry and the excellent William Gallas in the home back-line.City’s rearguard also caused us to rethink our notion that in Keegan’s office lies a dusty X-file labelled Defending: An Alien Concept. The central defender was herculean in his endeavours, particularly in the second period, when Kevin Keegan’s team strove valiantly for an equaliser.In truth, Chelsea rarely replicated the panache they had exhibited against Lazio in midweek. Ranieri, who made a mere four changes to that starting side, explained that his team had “expended a lot of psychological energy” in the Champions’ League game. The result was that City, as irritating to Chelsea as a wasp caught the wrong side of a windowpane in the way they launched countless counterattacks, merited a point.

Robbie Fowler, still without a Premiership goal this season, was denied only by a remarkable first-half save from Carlo Cudicini.Yet, after Chelsea had secured just one point from their last two Premiership games – a state of affairs presumably deemed “a crisis” in some quarters by the standards adopted since Roman Abram-ovich’s introduction – the accumulation of championship points was undoubtedly more important than the aesthetics.The fixtures between these clubs produced an aggregate 8-0 scoreline in favour of the London club last season, and that was before the Abramovich millions were invested. Wouldn’t you just know it – Claudio Ranieri rotates his reading matter. The tomes by the Italian’s bedside include Inglesi, on the English and what makes them tick, and Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York. Not until the 41st minute did they trouble Shay Given, the Irish keeper tipping wide a 20-yard drive by Teddy Sheringham.The third goal came in the 61st minute, Ameobi watching with as much bemuse-ment as Hislop as his glancing header spun over the the one-time Newcastle keeper, off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.It was another one of those days for Pompey on Tyneside.Newcastle United 3 Portsmouth 0 Speed 17, Shearer pen 27, Ameobi 61Half-time: 2-0 Attendance: 52,161. It was a stonewall penalty, though neither Paul Durkin nor his close-at-hand assistant could see it.Still, Shearer and his colleagues kept their afternoon’s goal in clear sight, sweeping forward with the kind of speed and proficiency that hallmarked their ascent to third place in the Premiership last season. A Bowyer drive struck the hand of the sliding Dejan Stefanovic and Shearer converted from the penalty spot – his ninth goal of the season and his 155th for his hometown club.It left Portsmouth attempting to play a catch-up game that already seemed beyond them.