Report: Portsmouth 1-1 Bristol City.

Bristol City were held to a 1-1 draw by Portsmouth at Westleigh Park.

Ella Powell’s opener was cancelled out by Sophie Barker’s strike as City were unable to find a winner despite seeing a lot of the ball.

Steve Kirby made two changes to the side which beat Sheffield United in The Robins’ last fixture, with Powell and Lexi Lloyd-Smith replacing Jess Simpson and Tianna Teisar.

Jazz Bull started for Portsmouth, facing up against her parent club.

The home side started quickly, with captain Barker seeing a shot saved comfortably by Fran Bentley inside a minute.

Sophie Quirk whipped a dangerous cross into the box towards Emma Jones, who headed over Bentley’s crossbar.

City then had an attack of their own as Ffion Morgan delivered a lovely ball across the face of the six-yard box towards Mari Ward, but a Pompey defender was able to clear away for a corner.

The Robins took the lead when Ward sent a superb cross towards the back post, where Powell was on hand to fire into the roof of the net from close-range.

Barker equalised for Portsmouth on 20 minutes when she calmly lofted the ball over Bentley and into the back of the net.

Lloyd-Smith’s corner was floated deep towards the back post where Amy Rodgers was in space, but the Scotland international could only find the side netting with her effort.

City had a goal disallowed when Lloyd-Smith swept past Poulter, only for it to be pulled back after a throw-in earlier in the move was adjudged to have been taken from the wrong place.

Powell went agonisingly close to putting City back in front with seconds left of the first period, seeing her looping header cleared off the line.

Pompey started the second-half well and Fran Bentley pulled off an incredible acrobatic save to deny Jones from range.

At the other end, Malaika Meena found herself in space just inside the area and forced a good stop out of Poulter as the game opened up.

Tianna Teisar, Lia O’Leary and Amalie Thestrup were all introduced by Kirby as City looked for a winner.

The Robins pushed until the very end but were unable to turn their possession into a goal, as the points were shared.

STARTING XI: Bentley (GK), Bennett, Struck, Mustaki, Ward, Meena, Rodgers, Powell (O’Leary 78’), Syme (C) (Thestrup 78’), Morgan, Lloyd-Smith (Teisar 65’).

Subs: Stowell (GK), Simpson, Woolley, Durrant.