It could have been the perfect response: jilted Portsmouth rally to the cause and prove that they did not need their suddenly departed manager. With three minutes remaining at Fratton Park last night, with Portsmouth leading Fulham 1-0, it appeared that the most appropriate script would be enacted.

The home fans thought so. “Who the hell is Harry Redknapp?” they chanted. Or words to that effect. Then, Erik Nevland crossed from the right and Clint Dempsey, another Fulham substitute, volleyed in at the near post. Portsmouth failed to replicate the victory of Tottenham Hotspur, Redknapp’s new club, over Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane.

Heartbreak for Portsmouth? Hardly. Players move on, managers move on, chasing the dollar or attempting to further their ambition. Portsmouth will get over it – perhaps some of their squad already have – and the South Coast club will revive and survive, whoever takes over at the tiller permanently.

Heartbreak it would have been if Fulham had not won 1-0 at Fratton Park on the last day of last season. Had they lost or drawn, they would have been relegated from the Barclays Premier League. Instead, they returned to the ground where they had dramatically retained their top-flight status and spoiled the day for those who had felt so let down.

Not that Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, detected any signs of frailty, emotional or otherwise, in the Portsmouth lineup selected by Tony Adams, Redknapp’s assistant, or Joe Jordan, the first-team coach. “Tony and Joe did a good job,” Hodgson said. “Their team kept going in the same way I would have expected Harry’s to. I only found out about Juande Ramos leaving Spurs and Harry going there when I woke up. Was there anyone who was not surprised? I’m always sad when a colleague loses his job, but I’m happy for Harry. He’s moved on to the job he wants to do.”

If the Portsmouth fans felt aggrieved that Redknapp had jumped ship overnight, they also had to put up with his comments in the match programme, which were penned before the sudden turn in events. “The prospect of AC Milan’s visit to Fratton Park in the Uefa Cup on November 27 shows just how far we’ve come as a club,” Redknapp wrote. “It’s a dream draw for the fans . . .”

Redknapp will not be around to live the dream – though he could lead out Tottenham against Milan in the later stages of the Uefa Cup – and his former team will need to shake up their ideas, anyway, after their dismal 3-0 group E defeat away to Braga on Thursday night. If not, Milan could eat them alive.

Fulham are a different prospect, struggling in the nether reaches of the Premier League, they still had enough imagination to trouble Portsmouth in an even first half. Most of their efforts came from long range, with Jimmy Bullard, Andrew Johnson and Danny Murphy having varying degrees of success. But, having scored only one goal – a Murphy penalty – in their past five league and cup matches, their finishing lacked finesse. As their spirits waned, especially in the second half, their attacking threat became negligible.

Portsmouth, so fragile in Braga, pushed on and, in the 61st minute, went ahead. Jermain Defoe laid the ball off invitingly for Peter Crouch to beat Mark Schwarzer comfortably with a low shot. The home fans rejoiced – Redknapp but a mere figment of their imaginations – until Dempsey cruelly diluted their delight.

Portsmouth (4-4-2): D James 6, N Pamarot 6, Y Kaboul 6, S Distin 6, N Belhadj - 7 P B Diop 5, L Diarra 6, R Hughes 6, A Traoré 6 - J Defoe 7 P Crouch 6. Substitutes: A Mvuemba (for Diarra, 84min), N Kranjcar (for Traoré, 84). Not used: J Ashdown, H Hreidarsson, J Utaka, Kanu, D Traoré. Next: Liverpool (a).

Fulham (4-4-2): M Schwarzer 6 - J Paintsil 4 A Hughes 6 B Hangeland 6 P Konchesky 5 - Z Gera 4 D Murphy 5 J Bullard 4 S Davies 4 - A Johnson 4 R Zamora 4. Substitutes: E Nevland (for Pantsil, 84min), C Dempsey (for Gera, 71). Not used P Zuberbuhler, Seol Ki-Hyeon, R Milsom, T Kallio, C Baird. Next: Wigan Ath (h).