Two highs and two lows as Rhodes receives ridiculous red in Blackpool's spirited draw with Portsmouth

It proved to be a courageous performance from the Seasiders, who had their numbers reduced after Jordan Rhodes was brandished a harsh red card just before the break.

Even with a man down, Neil Critchley’s side battled hard against top of the table Pompey and claimed a point with the help of a number of big saves from Dan Grimshaw.

Here’s two highs and two lows from the draw:

Red for Rhodes

We’ll start with a low, and the biggest talking point from the game. Rhodes was adjudged to have used an elbow while competing in the air with Joe Rafferty.

Even in normal time, this did not feel like a sending off offence. It just looked like two players going for the ball, and one coming out of it worse than the other- which happens a lot of the time. The referee took a moment before brandishing the red card, which looks like an even stranger decision when seeing the replay.

Rhodes had simply risen up to win the ball. Of course he has to use his arms, but there’s no forceful elbow into his opponent. It’d be interesting to see what view the officials had and why they felt such a punishment was required.

It’s a decision that changed the game, as prior to it Blackpool had their sights set on all three points after making a bright start to the fixture.

Team resilience

A big job was on the hands of the Seasiders following Rhodes’ red, and they certainly stepped up to the challenge. The work and effort that went into keeping Portsmouth out can only be applauded, and they still attempted to get up the other end of the field as well.

The back three deserve a lot of credit for the role they played, while everyone else did well to get back to assist them.

It was only really in the last 10 minutes where frequent chances came the way of Pompey, but the fight remained even if they were running low on energy.

Man of the match Grimshaw

Grimshaw played the most important role in securing a point, with some huge saves throughout the game. The first came just before half time, as he got his fingertips onto a shot from Abu Kamara to push the ball onto the post.

There were plenty more like that after the break, with the standout one being a stop at the near post to deny Kusini Yengi.

It was an excellent display from the Seasiders’ first-choice keeper, and without him it could’ve been a different scoreline.

Injury for Husband

The Seasiders were hit with an early blow, with James Husband forced off through injury in the 18th minute. Throughout this season, the defender’s influence and experience at the back has been key in a number of games, so his loss over a period of matches will be felt.

He was replaced by Olly Casey, who came on and did a really good job- getting stuck in and playing a key part in the back three.