THERE may have been a posse of Japanese photographers and journalists on the trail of Pompey keeper Yoshi Kawaguchi on Saturday but it was his opposite number who stole the show.

Greek keeper Nik Michopoulos has made a few mistakes in recent weeks but he had to be on top of his game to ensure Burnley did not lose a second home game of the season.

And as well as showing good technical skill he was forced to display that most important commodity for a keeper -- concentration.

That is because for much of the game he could have joined the happy snappers behind Kawaguchi's goal, such was the dominance of the Clarets in terms of possession.

But three times Pompey did get a sight of goal and three times Michopoulos was up to the task.

"We did not create many chances but their keeper made three great saves, he was tremendous," said Pompey boss Graham Rix. "I know Burnley had a lot of ball but I can't remember Yoshi having many saves to make."

Michopoulos had barely seen the ball let alone touched it when he was called into serious action for the first time in the 30th minute.

Courtney Pitt's cross from the left landed on the head of Peter Crouch and he was wheeling away in celebration as the Greek star clawed the ball off the line.

Save two came after 59 minutes with the score 0-0. For once the Burnley defence failed to clear the ball and Kevin Harper's shot from the edge of the box looked goalbound but Michopoulos plunged to his left to turn the ball away.

And 12 minutes from time, with the match tied at 1-1 he made star stop number three, denying Lee Mills from point blank range after Crouch had again won the ball in the box.

It was the giant striker who did finally strike to deny Michopoulos the third successive clean sheet at home that he so richly deserved.

It is a shame that the Clarets don't play Pompey next month. Club's are used to losing players to international call-ups but surely Rix will be deprived of the presence of Crouch who will be away on panto duty.

The 6ft 7ins striker must be lined up to star alongside Jack, not as the giant but as the beanstalk. Even when he does crouch he looks tall although his legs look as if they are ready to snap every time he is tackled.

It was no wonder it took him so long to control the ball that landed at his feet when David Waterman's miss hit shot turned into the perfect through ball, he has a lot further to look for the ball on the deck than most players.

But when he did finally get his legs sorted out he found a cool finish to beat Michopoulos and record his tenth goal of the season.

It is no wonder Stan Ternent wanted to sign him in the summer and there was a certain inevitability about the goal given that his every touch had been greeted with boos by the home fans.

The goal wiped the smiles of Burnley faces that had been put firmly in place just three minutes earlier by another great goal from the Paul Cook and Gareth Taylor combination.

Captain Cook, again in charge in the continued absence of Steve Davis, had wasted a number of chances to deliver dangerous balls into Kawaguchi's box but this time he made no mistake and, as against Sheffield United last week, Taylor was on hand to convert with a diving header.

That was his sixth goal of the season, all with his head and his third in three games, and he once again proved that if the ball is put in the right place, he will score.

Burnley had dominated the match for long periods but too often failed to find the killer ball, almost every player in the side being guilty and Cook again making more mistakes than normal.

That is why Kawaguchi, one of the real stars of Japanese football, had little opportunity to impress his fellow countrymen and provide them with the pictures they had travelled to Turf Moor to take.

But hopefully eager lenses were pointing in the right direction in the 62nd minute when Ian Moore met Dean West's cross and saw his header acrobatically tipped over the bar.

Poor Moore. It is now two months since he last found the net, a screamer at Birmingham City, and he badly needs a lucky break in front of goal -- something that Crouch enjoyed on Saturday.

He keeps running, he keeps trying and he did see a spectacular volley fly narrowly over the bar but the goal just won't come. That is ten games without notching and he must hope that after the famine he is due a feast.

Other Clarets players had chances to score but wasted them. Cook drove one shot inches wide, West was further off target after being set-up six yards from goal by some Glen Little trickery and Tony Grant shot over when well placed. Not one of them even tested the man from Japan.

But while Michopoulos was ultimately responsible for earning Burnley the point that took them up to fifth in the table he failed to pick up the man of the match award - that deservedly went to Arthur Gnohere.

The French defender is already a cult figure at Turf Moor and he produced another superb display alongside Ian Cox at the back.

The 22-year-old had trained with Pompey in the summer but opted to come to Burnley and it is no wonder Ternent is so delighted with his progress.

Strong at the back he also creates a surge of excitement when he powers forward on what are becoming his trademark runs into opposition territory.

One such sortie took him all the way to the goal line from his own half in the 48th minute but he just failed to pick out a colleague in the box. No wonder he got a standing ovation as he trotted back to his position in the heart of the defence.

Kawaguchi may be big in Japan, but Arthur is already King of East Lancashire.

BURNLEY...1

Scorer: Taylor 69

PORTSMOUTH...1

Scorer: Crouch 72

Attendance...14,123