Jermaine Defoe grabbed the winning goal for Portsmouth after Peter Crouch's opener was cancelled out by Ricardo Fuller's header. However Crouch gave Portsmouth the lead just shy of the half-hour mark with a spectacular overhead kick to convert Defoe's cross. A clinical finish to give Pompey a one-goal lead that had been coming.
The scores were levelled three minutes after the break after a trademark long-throw from Rory Delap was flicked on by Kitson to meet the diving Fuller who headed home at the back-post.
The home side's lead was re-instated minutes later when Defoe found space in the right channel and drove a low shot across Steve Simonsen's goal and it nestled in the far corner.
Stoke's attempts to find another equaliser failed to create any clear cut chances and Portsmouth comfortably cruised to a 2-1 win. A vital three points to make it two wins in a row for Portsmouth, while Stoke have taken only one point from their last three league games.
