Pompey win thriller

Portsmouth 4 Fulham 3

Pompey took their first win of the season after Yakubu's three goals followed Eyal Berkovic's opener.

But Portsmouth, who led 2-0 in the first-half, were rocked three times as Andy Cole, Luis Boa Morte and Carlos Bocanegra scored and the home side were indebted to a fine Shaka Hislop save to keep out a Cole header.

"When we scored, they scored too and we were a little bit scared," said Yakubu.

"Ricardo did very well today, he's a very good player. It's a good feeling to be at Portsmouth. When you play so well you deserve to win."

Hislop said the win was more important than anything else.

"I would like to have kept a clean sheet but the most important thing was to get three points," he said.

Hislop had been at fault in the defeat to Charlton and was determined to bounce back.

"I wanted to do well after making the mistake last week. The save from Andy Cole was the best, that would have dragged them back in the game if that one had gone in."

Manager Harry Redknapp said he had chosen an attacking formation and knew his team would be vulnerable.

"We were going to be open but I felt we could do damage to them," he said.

With midfielders Amdy Faye and Aliou Cisse out injured, Redknapp expected Fulham to be strong in midfield.

"I felt we didn't have anybody who could shut the game up," he said.

"I picked a team that was going to go forward but we were vulnerable defensively. I had that type of team, even at 3-0 I knew it wasn't over."

Angry Fulham manager Chris Coleman criticised his side's defending and admitted he had to find a way to make them as resolute as they were last season.

"If we came here and scored three goals I would expect to win the game I did not expect us to give away four goals in the fashion we did," he said.

"Going into half-time I felt if we got another one we could go all the way but they scored the next one. We have conceded six goals in two games and that is unacceptable.

"We have to make sure we are a hard team to play against again."

PORTSMOUTH: Hislop, Primus, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Stone, Quashie, Berger, Berkovic (LuaLua 79), Fuller, Yakubu (Taylor 88).

FULHAM: Van der Sar, Volz, Goma, Knight, Bocanegra, Jensen, Diop, Legwinski (McBride 86), Boa Morte, Cole, Radzinski (John 68).

Referee: B Knight (Kent).