WHEN DERBY County, this year’s whipping boys, sailed into an early lead and hung on to it for more than half an hour, it looked as if Portsmouth’s wretched home form and two months of turmoil in the wake of manager Harry Redknapp’s arrest and dalliance with Newcastle United might just take a most embarrassing course.

Then Benjani Mwaruwari took over. He scored a glittering second hat-trick of the season, but his movement and application were every bit the equal of his lethal finishing. To him and his co-tormenter-in-chief Pedro Mendes, Derby had no answer.

“When Benjani first came here his strike rate was diabolical,” admitted Redknapp, “but he worked hard and made it happen. Now he scores goals, but he works just as hard. He’s as hard as iron, but you couldn’t meet a nicer person.” With his team and his prowess seemingly frozen in defeated aspic on Wearside last week, yesterday offered Portsmouth and Redknapp the opportunity for Premier League redemption. His link with the Newcastle post brought no recriminations from the home faithful: having forgiven him for an affair with Southampton, flirting with wealthy northerners was small beer indeed.

With his team without a league goal at Fratton Park since smashing seven past Reading in September, Redknapp had much to mull over, although not as much as counterpart Paul Jewell, for whom next season and a level more suited to Derby’s ability cannot come too soon. He continued his renovation, and of the XI who started the season in the reverse fixture, only Darren Moore, Andy Todd and Craig Fagan began the rematch.

Derby may have taken four months this season to score away, but here it took them just four minutes. Laurent Robert lobbed a free kick from the right. Moore nodded it back across the six-yard box, Fagan headed it against the bar and Lewin Nyatanga tucked home the rebound.

A minute later it could have been two. With Portsmouth in disarray, only David James’s expert anticipation foiled Kenny Miller as he bore down on goal.

Portsmouth steadied their listing ship. David Nugent squandered a simple chance and Lewis Price saved smartly from Niko Kranjcar’s wickedly deflected drive. Derby remain the Premier League’s most brittle ensemble and within the space of four season-encapsulating minutes, they were behind.

First Mendes and Nugent linked deftly in the area and found Mwaruwari, who, with as sublime a turn as we will see all season, pirouetted around Nyatanga and blasted home. If Portsmouth’s first home league strike in 578 minutes was a delight, their second was preventable. Derby struggled to clear a Mendes corner from the right, until it fell to Nugent. His return cross found Mwaruwari, who rose without a challenge to head his 11th goal of the season past Price.

Ten minutes after the interval, the Zimbabwean, recommended to Redknapp by Arsène Wenger, had his hat-trick. Picking the ball up inside his own half, a glorious turn left Todd sprawling. With the defence dawdling, a one-two with Mendes found the quick Mwaruwari with only Price to beat. The contest was a mismatch: 3-1.

The men from Pride Park were in danger of losing their pride, but moments after Derby shipped their third, Fagan forced a flying save from James. There would, though, to be no comeback to equal the shock of their opener and when Kranjcar whistled a delicious 65th-minute free kick just wide of Price’s upright, Portsmouth’s only dilemma was whether to tweak the noose or save themselves for Plymouth next week.

In the event, Portsmouth left it at three and only further James athleticism prevented Giles Barnes from notching the scantiest of late consolations.

“If we continue to defend like this we’ll not win another game all season,” sighed Jewell.

He may not be proved wrong.

Match stats:

Star man: Benjani Mwaruwari (Portsmouth)
Scorers: Portsmouth: Mwaruwari 38, 42, 55
Derby: Nyatanga 4
Yellow cards: Portsmouth: Diarra
Derby: Fagan, Villa .
Player ratings: Portsmouth: James 7, Johnson 6, Pamarot 5, Distin 6, Hreidarsson 6, Lauren 5, Diarra 5 (Hughes 81min), Mendes 8, Kranjcar 7, Mwaruwari 9 (Mvuemba 89min), Nugent 7
Derby: Price 6, Mills 6 (Lewis 32min, 6), Todd 5, Moore 6, Nyatanga 6, Fagan 7 (Teale 68min), Savage 7, Ghaly 5, Robert 5 (Barnes 56min, 5), Villa 5, Miller 6
Referee: M Dean
Attendance: 19,401