ROBERTS COOKING ON GAZ...
PAUL COOK hailed “special” Gary Roberts as Portsmouth ran riot with a scintillating home display.
Pompey extended their unbeaten run at Fratton Park to five games and propelled themselves into second position in the league.
Cook said: “We have had a good day. The lads were terrific and some of the goals we scored were top drawer, especially the first one to get us back into the game.
“When you can open teams up like that and have a finisher like Conor Chaplin, you will always score goals.
“The players deserve tremendous credit for going a goal behind in a tough fixture and coming back to win.
“Gary can open any defence at this level. The kid is a special player, he always has been and he always will be. Our fans love him and his goal takes your breath away.”
Barnet took the lead in the 27th minute after defender Tom Davies handled the ball in the area and John Akinde slotted the penalty past goalkeeper David Forde.
Pompey equalised seven minutes later when Roberts’ perfectly-weighted pass found Chaplin, who fired it past a helpless Josh Vickers in goal.
Roberts then got himself on the scoresheet in the 50th minute after turning Barnet’s Michael Nelson on the edge of the area before his strike rifled into the net.
Carl Baker added Pompey’s third on 56 minutes as he cut into the box from the right wing, curling his low shot into the corner.
Barnet were then reduced to ten men when Bira Dembele tugged back Chaplin in the area to receive a straight red card but Vickers saved Roberts’ attempt from the spot.
Substitute Milan Lalkovic got the home team’s fourth, and his first goal for Portsmouth, in the 78th minute as his shot curled into the bottom corner, and Danny Rose completed the rout in the 92nd minute.
Barnet manager Martin Allen didn’t think his side deserved such a heavy defeat.
“I don’t think it was a 5-1 performance,” he said. “We played very well in the first half and we were unlucky not to go 2-0 up after John Akinde’s free header from a set play.
“Within our group we had some very impressive performances, and I couldn’t go into the dressing room afterwards and say to them it was awful.
“At 3-1 down with ten men I could have got everybody to sit back and see the game out but I didn’t want to do that. I still wanted us to go after them, which we did and we got punished.
“They have clearly got the players to punish you in the final third.”