Frederic Piquionne and Kevin Prince Boateng fired stricken
Portsmouth into the FA Cup final at Wembley with a
sensational 2-0 semi-final victory over
Tottenham.
Pompey, in administration and relegated from the Premier League
on Saturday, broke the deadlock in the 10th minute of extra
time.
The controversial Wembley surface - treacherous all afternoon
with a host of players loosing their footing - struck again as
Spurs defender Michael Dawson slipped allowing Piquionne to stab
home.
Boateng added the second from the spot after Wilson Palacios was
wrongly adjudged to have fouled Aruna Dindane.
Astonishingly Pompey, the 2008 FA Cup winners, will now conclude
a season of crisis at Fratton Park with a final against
Chelsea.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp labelled the Wembley pitch a
"disgrace", but said it was not an excuse for defeat.
He said: "The pitch is a disgrace, a disgrace. I won't use the
pitch as a excuse because it was the same for both teams.
"But for any professional team to have to play football on that
is farcical. How can you play on a pitch you can't stand up on?
"You have to spend the whole time making sure you don't fall
over. That can't be right can it? It's farcical.
"Michael Dawson slipped on it and I was here yesterday and saw
people unable to keep their feet. It's unreal.
"I said before the game that anyone can slip on that pitch, so
you'll have to be very careful.
"Yesterday I saw goalkeepers trying to kick balls but fall
over.
"That's how bad the pitch is - it's rock hard and wet on top.
It's impossible to play on."