FERNANDO TORRES struck in stoppage time to give Liverpool victory after they came from behind twice, and put them back on top of the Premier League. Fellow substitute Dirk Kuyt had equalised after goals by David Nugent and Hermann Hreidarsson threatened to increase the pressure on Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, as well as easing it on his Pompey counterpart Tony Adams.

There had been concerns about both teams’ state of health. Though Benitez had protested to the contrary, following his release of Robbie Keane back to Tottenham, his team had been struck down by Striker Deficiency Disorder, the virus all title aspirants fear in the knowledge Manchester United boast four of the best.

The Spaniard refuses to concede that he has put the empties out before ordering fresh supplies of cream. Yet, the frailty of a policy with an over-dependency on Torres and Steven Gerrard was evident in Wednesday’s FA Cup defeat by Everton.

In the event, the Liverpool manager made six changes from the FA Cup tie at Goodison, deploying three centre-backs, and resting Torres, Xabi Alonso and Kuyt on the bench. The 19-year-old French striker David Ngog made his league debut, which all must have brought some relief to Adams, whose record beforehand of two victories in 15 games read even worse than that of the much-maligned Alain Perrin’s in 2005.

A dearth of goals had been their blight. Since Portsmouth’s last league victory, against Blackburn in late November, Adams’s team had managed just five goals in eight games. Adams had talked of his players’ suffering from a mental block, and had prescribed a session with the team psychologist, if necessary.

Yet, you sensed that fear still stalked the hosts. Liverpool should have established a lead when a fine ball from Alvaro Arbeloa set up Yossi Benayoun, running unmarked into the home area. The Israeli shot tamely into the side netting. Then Fabio Aurelio curled a free kick against the wrong side of a post before dragging another attempt wide. With Daniel Agger frequently pushing forward to augment his attacking teammates, a Javier Mascherano drive had to be turned away by goalkeeper David James, who was equalling Gary Speed’s record of 535 appearances in the Premier League. Liverpool were clearly determined to break their opponents’ vulnerable spirit as swiftly as possible.

Adams’ return to management after being thrust into the fray by Harry Redknapp’s departure has not been easy. The club, which has made £35.75m from the sale of Jermain Defoe and Lassana Diarra, only spent £6.4m in the transfer window. Here there was a debut for one of his acquisitions, Angelo Basinas, signed from AEK Athens.

Pompey had threatened only sporadically in the first half hour, in which Sean Davis was off target with a free kick and Basinas had another saved by goalkeeper Pepe Reina. But as half-time approached belief began to surge again through the veins of the home players. Too often, passing was dreadfully awry to trouble the visitors’ rearguard, but in Portsmouth’s best move Nugent combined neatly with Peter Crouch, desperate to do well against his former club. The latter’s venomous delivery flew just over Reina’s bar. After the interval, Adams introduced Niko Kranjcar for Hayden Mullins. At the start of the half a Pompey defence, in which returning captain Sol Campbell was prominent, restricted a strangely subdued Liverpool to rare sorties.

With the newcomer Basinas looking an intelligent, poised addition to the Pompey squad Adams men sensed they could actually claim all three points.

In fact their ambition nearly caught pressing forward, Benayoun broke and evaded two challenges, found Kuyt, who had just emerged off the bench, on the right. Ryan Babel looked as though he had just to make contact with his fellow Dutchman’s low cross to score, but somehow the ball eluded him in front of an open goal. He was to rue the miss.

Just after the hour, Portsmouth burst forward with purpose. Basinas fed Crouch, whose splendidly weighted ball through to Nugent allowed the former Preston striker to take it in his stride and tuck a shot past Reina. Liverpool were shocked into a response, and were aided by Crouch, of all people. His ball back to James was adjudged a backpass by referee Howard Webb, and from Alonso’s touch to Aurelio, the Brazilian shot into the corner of the net.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Basinas, Davis, Mullins (Kranjcar h-t), Belhadj, Crouch,

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Dossena (Alonso 67min), Arbeloa, Mascherano, Aurelio, Babel (Torres 76min), Ngog (Kuyt 56min), Benayoun