Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe were on target as Portsmouth saw off Stoke City in their Barclays Premier League clash at Fratton Park.

Crouch followed up his crucial goals against Guimaraes in the Uefa Cup with a spectacular opener but it was left to Defoe to net the winner after Ricardo Fuller, the former Portsmouth striker, had equalised.

Despite this being Portsmouth’s seventh game in 22 days - Harry Redknapp, the manager, made just two changes from the side that knocked out Guimaraes and they started the match very much in the ascendancy. All the home side’s early dominance pointed to a comfortable win as winger Armand Traore terrorised Stoke’s right flank with a series of raids that produced near misses by Papa Bouba Diop and Defoe.

Yet Portsmouth then began to struggle against Rory Delap’s long throws and Fuller’s committed approach. Tony Pulis, a former manager at Fratton Park, must have cursed when Dave Kitson missed a 17th-minute sitter, clipping his shot wide from Delap’s diagonal pass with only David James to beat. Then Seyi Olofinjana was booked for a foul on Sean Davis, who had to go off briefly for a treatment to his lower back.

Davis had just returned by the time the hitherto subdued Defoe chipped a lovely ball across the area and Crouch notched his fourth goal in three games with a stunning volley on the turn. Defoe then saw a fierce low drive parried by Steve Simonsen before Diop blasted wide on the half-hour.

Stoke could have had a penalty, however, when four minutes later, Fuller chased a Michael Tonge pass through the centre and tried to round James before going down in a heap. It looked like referee Andre Marriner had awarded a spot-kick as James raced to him with arms spread wide but the official had pointed for a goal-kick. He then felt obliged to explain the decision to Fuller, who seemed convinced he had been tripped.

Stoke had another claim for a penalty when Sol Campbell collapsed on top of Fuller soon afterwards but then Defoe was irate after Olofinjana appeared to clip his heels inside the area at the other end. Again the referee was unimpressed.

Crouch was a whisker away from steering home a second goal from a right-wing cross from Defoe to the near post before Stoke levelled. Fuller muscled in between James and Glen Johnson to apply the final touch to a Delap cross after 48 minutes.

Portsmouth responded immediately, Defoe rattling the post straight away and restoring their lead inside three minutes with an almost identical right-foot shot past Simonsen, the stand-in goalkeeper.

Stoke continued their aerial bombardment but Simonsen, deputising for flu-hit Thomas Sorensen, performed heroically to stop Defoe, Crouch and Traore adding more goals.