Last updated: 29th March 2008
Defoe: Fantastic buy
Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe showed Fabio Capello just what he missed in Paris in midweek, as his sublimely taken brace saw off Wigan at Fratton Park.
Overlooked by England on Wednesday, the diminutive front-man was hungry for goals from the start and once in each half he showed just why he is emerging as one of the buys of the season.
While Defoe was ruthless, Wigan were toothless, as they missed two glorious opportunities to fight their way back into a contest they were never out of until injury-time, when Portsmouth grabbed their second.
Defoe punctuated proceedings just past the half-hour mark with a quintessential striker's goal, prodding in from the angle after John Utaka's strike had rebounded into his path.
Luis Valencia's goal bound effort was diverted onto the bar by Glen Johnson, before in the second period Ryan Taylor saw his penalty brilliantly repelled by David James, before firing the rebound horribly over.
In the game's dying embers Defoe raced onto Niko Kranjcar's inch-perfect pass to register his eighth goal from seven games.
Missed chances
Pompey missed chances early on - even Defoe, skying an eight-yard chance after Latics goalkeeper Chris Kirkland kept out Hermann Hreidarsson's blast and Kranjcar was just wide with a free-kick.
Yet it was Wigan, without an entire midfield in the suspended Michael Brown, Jason Koumas and Wilson Palacios and minus knee injury victim Erik Edman, who should have gone ahead in the 13th minute.
Marcus Bent, recalled to replace £3million striker Marlon King, looked offside when he slipped Valencia through to slide a shot past James. Johnson looked certain to score an own goal but his desperate clearance thudded against the crossbar and away.
It fell straight to Valencia but this time the South American's shot was deflected for a corner. Bent almost surprised James with a shot from distance that flew over the bar but there had been little sign of ingenuity on either side by the half-hour mark.
But Pompey finally snatched the lead in the 33rd minute and, inevitably, it was Defoe who poached it. Utaka, the £7million Nigerian winger who has been accused of being too laid-back by boss Harry Redknapp, showed admirable determination, cutting in from the right to almost stumble through three challenges and then see his cross deflect off Emmerson Boyce and leave Kirkland and the covering Mario Melchiot stranded.
Striker's finish
Defoe nipped in on the far post to tuck home the chance - his seventh goal in seven games.
Pompey certainly had the breaks but they almost had a second goal as well soon afterwards when Kranjcar let go from well outside the area and Kirkland had to fly across his goal to touch the ball away with his fingertips.
The ever-willing Milan Baros, yet to score his first Pompey goal, should have buried Wigan after a delightful run, typical of his industry in the 51st minute. He tried to pick out Defoe's run but the ball came back to him off a Wigan leg and he failed to deliver the shot from a clear opportunity when a combination of Kirkland and Boyce put on the block.
James kept himself warm by diving to save Scharner's long-range drive just before Hreidarsson, doubtful all week with a swollen knee, limped off to give the home side a Wembley scare.
Horror miss
But even that was forgotten when referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot soon afterwards. Valencia went down in the area after running onto Bent's pass and Sylvain Distin appeared to make clear contact despite Pompey's protests.
But James, atoning for his howler in Paris, flung himself in the way of Taylor's poorly-struck penalty and the midfielder, instead of potting the rebound, scooped it over the bar, holding his head in horror.
But Wigan with just one defeat in their previous five games, pressed to the finish in search of another precious survival point and James had to make another outstanding stop five minutes from time, flying to keep out substitute Antoine Sibierski's cracking drive before Defoe broke clear again to settle it in stoppage time.
The 32nd round of the English Premiership took place this past weekend with both the battles for the league title and the battle against relegation still raging on. The fate of one team has been sealed for the rest of the season as Derby County has been mathematically guaranteed relegation, setting a new league record for earliest relegation. At the top of the table, nothing changed this week as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool all won.