Jermain Defoe's brace cancelled out Mido's opener as the three points stayed at Fratton Park with Pompey beating Boro 2-1.
Downing error leads to winning goal
Jermain Defoe's brace cancelled out Mido's opener as the three points stayed at Fratton Park with Portsmouth beating Boro 2-1.
The home side looked the better of the two from the start with the combination of Defoe and Peter Crouch causing a few problems to the Middlesbrough back four.
After a few chances from Defoe and co went begging, Boro couner-attacked with devastating accuracy with what seemed like their first clear-cut chance of the game. Brazilian Afonso Alves combined perfectly with Egyptian Mido who found himself through on goal as he slotted home the opener.
But the little and large Defoe and Crouch partnership struck once more and the smaller of the two rifled the ball into the back of the net.
Just as the game looked like it was going to a draw, the ball cannoned off Stewart Downing's leg on the edge of the box and it fell kindly to Defoe who made no mistake.
Surprised
Despite looking the better of the two, Pompey were lucky to survive in the fourth minute when Sol Campbell failed to cut out Didier Digard's cross from the right. But Alves seemed so surprised and somehow forgot to shoot with only David James to beat.
Mido then caught them cold as Alves controlled a long ball down the left from Chris Riggott and found the Egyptian as he slipped through neatly past a slow reacting Younes Kaboul to slot home.
Until then it had needed the cool expertise of young goalkeeper Ross Turnbull - who kept his place despite Brad Jones' return to fitness after a dislocated finger - to keep Pompey at bay.
Wing-backs Glen Johnson and Armand Traore tried manfully to supply service for Defoe and Peter Crouch who gave the Boro back four problems.
In the 27th minute Defoe managed to get past Robert Huth but was knocked off balance by the big German's challenge - and reacted by petulantly kicking his opponent and getting himself booked.
Orthodox
Redknapp scrapped Pompey's new system and switched back to the orthodox 4-4-2 in the second half - with newcomer Nadir Belhadj and Nigeria winger John Utaka replacing Kaboul and Papa Bouba Diop.
The effect was immediate as Lassana Diarra shot just too high from 18 yards after Utaka twice split open the Boro defence down the left.
Defoe had also drilled just wide but finally crowned an intense spell of Pompey pressure by taking Crouch's pass, gliding past a defender and beating Turnbull at his near post. In the build-up the Boro players were appealing for a foul on Mido but to no avail.
Each side had been denied a solid-looking penalty claim and as Downing thought his appeal would stand, it was Defoe at the other end who wrapped up the points.
Johnson went to challenge Downing's clearance on the edge of the box as it came off the England winger's leg and fell kindly to the Portsmouth striker who hooked the ball home on the turn to record their first home win in six months.
