It was supposed to be Blackburn Rovers battling to overcome weariness after their Uefa Cup exit 72 hours earlier, but instead Portsmouth, 15 days after their previous match, looked like the team fighting off fatigue yesterday. Mark Hughes’s players may have seen their European odyssey end last week, but on this evidence their season is far from over.

Shabani Nonda, on loan from AS Roma, did his chances of securing a permanent transfer no harm with the first two goals and Arsenal will visit Ewood Park on Wednesday for an FA Cup fifth-round replay knowing they will be sternly examined. “That was the perfect response,” Hughes, the Blackburn manager, said. “There was a lot of disappointment about the place Thursday night, but we’ve picked ourselves up. Today’s performance has posted notice of our intent not to let our season peter out.”

David James, the Portsmouth goalkeeper, does not harbour happy memories of this ground – he dropped a cross for a goal in his final game for Manchester City last season – and he will be eager to banish images of yesterday’s match in a hurry, too. Beaten after 55 seconds, he was culpable for the second goal and conceded a penalty – which he saved superbly – as Portsmouth’s ambitions of following Rovers into Europe continue to recede.

With one league win in eight matches, Harry Redknapp’s team have failed to score in four of their past six and were a shambles yesterday. Blackburn have invariably responded well to their Thursday nights in Europe this season – the Cup draw away to Arsenal has been accompanied by five victories from seven Premiership games immediately after Uefa Cup duty – but not even they could have hoped for such accommodating opponents.

In the first minute, Pedro Mendes gave the ball away cheaply and when Sol Campbell failed to head clear from David Bentley’s chip forward, Nonda beat James to the ball to hook home. The second goal was even easier. Matt Derbyshire, after a lung-testing run from deep in his own half, collected a throw-in and crossed towards the near post. James and Noé Pamarot went for it and missed and Nonda turned in his eighth goal of the season.

He then turned provider when he centred for the excellent Stephen Warnock at the far post to score the third goal. Blackburn supporters taunted James with ironic chants of “England’s No 1”, but the goalkeeper, having brought down Morten Gamst Pedersen, was able to turn and clench his fists at the crowd after he dived to repel Nonda’s spot-kick in the 59th minute. It was scant consolation.