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David Kasumu put in a stellar display on his return to the side as MK Dons beat Portsmouth 1-0 at Stadium MK to disrupt Pompey’s play-off push.
A first-half penalty from Scott Fraser was enough to secure all three points after Ethan Laird was fouled inside the area by Charlie Daniels.
Jack Whatmough was sent off late on the second-half for a horrendous two-footed tackle, reducing Danny Cowley’s side to ten men.
After struggling through various injuries during the 2020/21 campaign limiting himself to only 19 games, David Kasumu has not had the impact on Russell Martin’s side that he would have hoped for.
Whilst making his first start for his side since the middle of December because of a lengthy absence, his manager witnessed a display that showed exactly what his side had been missing.
As a youth academy product who plays in central midfield, comparisons will naturally be drawn with the progress of Dele Alli at a similar age.
Although a very different style of midfielder to the England International who currently plays at Tottenham Hotspur, there can be a connection drawn between both with their determination in the tackle, their ability to create space and time, and their ability to float around the pitch affecting all aspects of play, at times almost impossible for the opposition to mark.
Although this was baby steps in his return to first-team duties, Kasumu was able to manage 66 minutes before being replaced by Charlie Brown.
Having 63 touches at the point of his removal from the match, it was the highest by any player, but there were so many more facets to his game that were demonstrated almost to perfection.
The 21-year-old of English and Nigerian descent completed 37 successful passes which included four spectacular passes, each time switching the play to the opposite flank and each leading to the creation of a shot on target.
A phrase that you often hear when describing footballers is “makes time for themselves” and the young midfielder put on a clinic showcasing this.
Despite being closed down and tightly marked during the first-half, he was able, on more than one occasion, to shimmy and feint a movement, losing his opponent and opening up space for himself to play into.
Kasumu did this again in the build-up to the goal, which came about via the penalty spot. In the 40th minute, Ethan Laird tricked and turned his way into the penalty area where he faced Charlie Daniels.
After faking a stepover, Laird twisted to his right and a lazy leg from Daniels sent him to the ground, and Scott Fraser stepped up to fire home his 12th league goal of the season, sending Portmsouth’s Craig MacGillivray in the wrong direction.
A powerful yet-diminutive midfielder, Kasumu shows everything you would want in an up and coming talent. An area within his game that will involve some work towards improving is his disciplinary record, having been cautioned in 10 of his previous displays.
His love for a tackle shone through on the field, completing four on his comeback and one was a ferocious yet fair sliding challenge that not only won the ball but gave his forwards a chance to score, only for his strikers to squander the opportunity.
Whilst the 21-year-old may have perfected all his challenges, the same cannot be said for Jack Whatmough. The Portsmouth centre back received possession of the ball in the 81st minute and unfortunately for himself, had a heavy touch allowing the ball to escape his control.
What then can only be described as a horrendous tackle, one which all those involved in football are trying their best to eradicate, as Whatmough dived in two-footed at shin height towards striker Charlie Brown.
Thankfully for Brown, he was able to avoid the terrible and reckless attempt from the defender, and referee Martin Coy was left with no option than to dismiss Whatmough and produce the red card.
If David Kasumu can continue to make the same impact on future matches, it will not only bring suitors from teams in higher divisions, but it will also give manager Russell Martin and his assistant Luke Williams a serious headache over how three players go into two, with Andrew Surman and Josh McEachran also vying alongside Kasumu for selection in the same position for matches ahead.
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