It is supposed to be too early in the campaign to take note of numbers, but Manchester United cannot help but count the cost. It is true that 36 more league fixtures lie ahead for the reigning champions, but a pair of draws that have invited Chelsea to open up a four-point lead cause memories to flood back of the way in which Jose Mourinho's fast start crushed rivals' morale in the past.
The red card shown to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 84th minute last night, with the suspension it incurs, will dampen United's firepower just when they want to impose themselves. Portsmouth's Sulley Muntari had been dismissed for a second yellow card just before the Portugal winger allegedly aimed a butt in the direction of Richard Hughes.
The disadvantages of smaller teams tend to be overlooked, though, because of a shortfall in glamour. It must be recorded, though, that Portsmouth pulled of this result despite losing Sol Campbell and Lauren to injury before kick-off. Martin Cranie had to make his debut in a game where others then went off hurt.
In that context, it is impressive that Portsmouth have this result to set beside three victories over United at Fratton Park in the past four seasons. An evening of seeming security was transformed into another damaging visit for Sir Alex Ferguson's squad.
That is particularly galling since United had seemed certain to win as Carlos Tevez made what promised to be a happy debut. The statisticians will put the former West Ham attacker down for an assist 15 minutes into the match, but he is more likely to reflect on how spectacularly team-mates such as these can capitalise on the simplest pass. Under no pressure from Portsmouth the Argentinian laid the ball back and Paul Scholes scored with a powerful yet exact drive.
It was not an eventful match at that stage. Tevez, the deluxe deputy while Wayne Rooney's broken foot heals, caused tremors of anxiety in Portsmouth's defence. When David James spilled a Ronaldo shot 10 minutes from the interval the forward looked for a moment as if he would walk the ball into the net. A recovery by the goalkeeper, though, forced him away from the target.
Portsmouth's manager did recast his line-up and the impact was startling. With 53 minutes gone, Matthew Taylor, introduced at left-back, crossed for an unmarked Benjani, pushed into an advanced post in aid of Nugent, to head past Edwin Van der Sar. That lapse in defence can only have compounded the bemusement of the visitors, who might have clinched victory by then.
The impression until the equaliser was of United starting to enjoy themselves. When Scholes, for instance, put Tevez in behind the right of Portsmouth's defence it took the outstretched leg of James to prevent a goal. There was another opening for the debutant after a clearance had been struck straight to Scholes but Tevez's attempt went high.
The Torygraph
Portsmouth have put a roof on the away end at Fratton Park, and last night they put a lid on Tevezmania. Manchester United supporters, enjoying the new cover on the Milton End on a damp evening, were delighting in the debut of Carlos Tevez, who helped create Paul Scholes' goal, until Benjani capped a man-of-the-match display with a fantastic equaliser.
Until Benjani's fabulous header early in the second half, the game had belonged to United's myriad creative forces, to Tevez and Scholes. So influential in Scholes' first-half goal, Tevez had been given a rapturous reception by the United supporters who had flocked to the south coast. It appeared love at first sight, the United fans thrilling to the way Tevez dropped deep and immediately showed his determination by muscling past Noe Pamarot and Pedro Mendes.
As impressive as this feisty bit of foraging was, United needed Tevez further forward, spearheading Ferguson's 4-2-3-1 formation. United still moved fluidly in this system, with Nani, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo interchanging behind Tevez.
After 14 minutes, the champions' technical class and clever movement told, building towards a magnificent goal. Here was the intoxicating style of attacking that Ferguson had been planning. Here was a lightning break of phenomenal precision, a wonderful meeting of sharp minds and deft feet.
Nani's pace and control carried him down the inside-right channel, and suddenly Portsmouth were stretched in front of the home faithful in the Fratton End. Relishing his first start, Nani clearly revelled in having such a busy front-runner as Tevez to pick out.
The Portuguese flier deftly found Tevez on the edge of the area, the man from Fort Apache in Buenos Aires again displaying all his physical strength and touch in controlling the ball and then laying it off adroitly to Scholes.
Partnering Michael Carrick in deep midfield last night, Scholes knows he needs to keep delivering with Owen Hargreaves' arrival, although Scholes can operate further forward. Carrick was catching the eye as well on this fine piece of Hampshire turf, particularly with his angled passes from right to left, one of which released Nani just after the half-hour mark. Nani rolled the ball back to Patrice Evra, whose shot flew just over. United were a kaleidoscope of murderous attacking movement.
All standing in the Milton End, United's supporters were loving it, chanting: "Argentina, Argentina.'' Portsmouth fans were having none of that, responding quickly: "England, England.'' Also deprived of the injured Wayne Rooney, McClaren would surely have been grateful to call on a replacement of Tevez's quality. United had the world-class Tevez. Portsmouth had the willing but limited David Nugent.
The Times
Sir Alex Ferguson must wish that Portsmouth had never been promoted to the Premier League. His Manchester United team have won only once at Fratton Park in their five visits in the competition and last night their unconvincing start to the season stumbled on as they squandered an early lead and finished the match with ten men after Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed six minutes from time, apparently for head-butting Richard Hughes, the Portsmouth defender.
Paul Scholes had put United ahead after 15 minutes from a pass by Carlos Tévez, who was making his debut, but they failed to press home their advantage and Benjani Mwaruwari headed an equaliser in the second half. Sulley Muntari, of Portsmouth, was shown a second yellow card after 83 minutes for a foul on Michael Carrick, but there was even more drama to come with Ronaldo's dismissal.
With Lauren also missing after turning an ankle in training, the Portsmouth back four had a makeshift look about it and, after 15 minutes, Tévez was allowed to collect the ball under very little pressure and work it to a central position on the edge of the penalty area, where Scholes lashed it powerfully past the right hand of the diving David James with a rising shot.
It was Scholes's 96th Premier League goal and makes him United's leading scorer in the competition, with one more than Ruud van Nistelrooy.
With Nani providing trickery on the left and Ronaldo making inroads at will down the right, it looked as though the home defence would be overrun. A second goal seemed certain when Tévez collected the rebound after James had saved Ronaldo's shot at full stretch, but Portsmouth managed to scramble the ball away before the Argentina forward could convert the chance.
Portsmouth's attack, in which David Nugent was operating as a lone forward, was making little impression despite the typically persistent urgings of the home crowd. An optimistic and extremely ill-directed shot from distance by Sean Davis, in his 50th league appearance for Portsmouth, proved to be their only effort at goal during the first half.
The manager had to make changes at the interval, but they might have backfired when Nani skipped past Noé Pamarot before he had adjusted to his new role at right back. Fortunately for the defender, James stuck out a leg to deny the former FC Porto winger and Portsmouth had a narrow escape moments later when Tévez volleyed over from a Scholes pass after they failed to clear.
But after 53 minutes, Redknapp's remodelling paid off. Matt Taylor, one of two half-time substitutes, hung a cross invitingly in front of the United goal and Mwaruwari, now restored to his more familiar central-attacking role, timed his run perfectly to head powerfully past Edwin van der Sar.
After that came the flurry of cards from Steve Bennett, the referee, as a pulsating second half reached boiling point. "Muntari has just got to be careful stretching into tackles," Redknapp said. "I didn't even see what Ronaldo did, I haven't got a clue. He's not a nasty person; I can't imagine him doing anything too bad, but the referee must have seen something."