Pompey edge Fratton thriller

Portsmouth blew a two-goal lead again at Fratton Park but finally clinched Tony Adams' first home win thanks to a rare Sean Davis goal to beat Blackburn 3-2.

Pompey were 2-0 up against AC Milan in the UEFA Cup on Thursday before having to settle for a 2-2 draw and had the same advantage over struggling Rovers eight minutes after half-time when Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe struck.

But Matt Derbyshire pulled one back for Rovers with his first touch less than 30 seconds after replacing Benni McCarthy and Tugay struck a 66th-minute equaliser before Davis, two minutes after coming on, pounced on a rebound from Papa Bouba Diop's shot for his first goal since March 2006.

Pompey had an outstanding chance to go ahead in the fourth minute. Glen Johnson, fed by Crouch, chipped a lovely ball into the box for Glen Little but the winger put a poor shot straight at Paul Robinson.

But Crouch took his opportunity moments after the break when he headed past the helpless Robinson in the 49th minute from a Johnson cross.

And it looked all over four minutes later when Defoe shrugged off two challenges on the edge of the area and ran past former Tottenham team-mate Robinson to make it 2-0 and join Crouch on eight goals for the season.

But then it all started to unravel again for Pompey. Out of nowhere Derbyshire headed Morten Gamst Pedersen's bouncing cross from the left over David James in the 62nd minute.

And as Portsmouth panicked and their defenders backed off, Turkish veteran Tugay struck a daisy-cutting 25-yarder into the England goalkeeper's bottom right-hand corner.

There was then a controversial moment when Derbyshire had a 'goal' disallowed for what referee Mark Halsey saw as a foul on James, as Rovers began to take control.

So when Davis came up with the winner it was a major surprise on several counts - and, for Adams, a major relief.