Harry Redknapp emerged victorious from the tactical battle with Tony Pulis as Portsmouth heaped further misery on Stoke at Fratton Park.

Redknapp, who had seen Pompey struggle to cope with Stoke's counter-attacking tactics in the first half, reshuffled his side.

The decision to move Linvoy Primus to right-back and let Kevin Harper loose on the right flank after the interval proved masterful.

Mark Burchill opened the scoring within four minutes of the restart, and Vincent Pericard and Svetoslav Todorov put the game beyond reach with two late goals.

Victory saw Portsmouth extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points, while condemning Stoke to a seventh successive defeat.

They have now gone 20 games without keeping a clean sheet, and their defensive inadequacies go some way to explaining why Pulis chose to field Tommy Mooney as a lone striker.

As well as the dropping of striker Chris Greenacre in favour of Karl Henry, Pulis handed Petur Marteinsson a first start in almost three months due to Sergei Shtaniuk's suspension.

Endeavour rewarded

Todorov may have failed to test Neil Cutler in the Stoke goal with an audacious left-footed volley, but Mooney gave Shaka Hislop considerably more to worry about with a similar effort.

It needed a fantastic save from the former West Ham goalkeeper to keep Portsmouth in the game.

And Mooney's burgeoning confidence was exemplified with two more attempts from distance and a header which Hislop did well to tip over the crossbar.

Redknapp's half-time team talk brought almost immediate rewards with Burchill meeting Harper's teasing cross to steer the ball past Cutler in the 49th minute.

Lassina Diabete tried his luck from distance as Portsmouth went in search of a second.

Any hopes of salvaging a point were extinguished when substitute Pericard scored with his first touch from Todorov's cross three minutes from time.

Todorov earned his reward for an impressive performance by chipping Cutler in the final minute.

Portsmouth: Hislop, Primus, Foxe, De Zeeuw, Harper, Diabate, Merson, Quashie, Taylor, Burchill, Todorov. Subs: Kawaguchi, O'Neil, Robinson, Pericard, Crowe.

Stoke: Cutler, Thomas, Handyside, Gunnarsson, Clarke, Henry, Gudjonsson, Hoekstra, O'Connor, Marteinsson, Mooney. Subs: Viander, Greenacre, Cooke, Iwelumo, Vandeurzen.

Referee: P Taylor (Hertfordshire).