GARY O'NEIL claimed two goals, including a first-minute opener as Portsmouth, registered their third win in a row to raise hopes of an improbable relegation escape. O'Neil cashed in on a Wayne Bridge error, watched by England chief Sven-Goran Eriksson, to earn a dramatic early lead and then clinched matters just after the hour mark with a deflected drive that sailed over Mark Crossley. The home side's goose was cooked when Michael Brown was sent off on 73 minutes for a bad foul on former Fulham man Sean Davis. Earlier Steed Malbranque had equalised for Fulham with a cracking drive on 10 minutes only for Lomana LuaLua to restore Portsmouth's advantage 13 minutes later.

With less than a minute gone, O'Neil set the tone for a frantic first half when Bridge's slip let him in at the far post to stab home Benjani Mwaruwari's raking cross and put the away side a goal to the good. Malbranque levelled things on 10 minutes, turning wide on the left to curl a beautiful shot from the edge of the box in off Dean Kiely's left-hand post. Sean Davis should have restored Portsmouth's lead from a similar position to the one from which O'Neil scored, only to put the ball over from just inches out.

But Lua Lua made it 2-1 when Mwaruwari flicked on and he held off Zat Knight to charge through and score.

Brian McBride rattled the bar with a header as Fulham sought an equaliser, before Collins John shot wide with just the keeper to beat.

But it was Portsmouth who were next to hit the target, when O'Neil's shot from outside the box took a touch off Christanval's head and flew in beyond Crossley's reach. Fulham's task of getting back in the game was made harder when Brown was given a straight red for a two-footed lunge at Davis, prompting them into a desperate late rally, and causing Portsmouth to sit back and defend comfortably in depth.