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Jermain Defoe scored twice as Portsmouth came from a goal down to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at Fratton Park.

Defoe struck three minutes from time to settle an entertaining match that the home side bossed from start to finish.

The Boro defence failed to deal with a long throw towards Peter Crouch and Defoe hit Glen Johnson's hopeful ball over the top on the turn, firing it into the bottom corner.

The visitors took the lead in the first half, against the run of play.

In Middlesbrough's first decent attack of the match on 24 minutes, Alves broke away to the edge of the Pompey box and fed Mido, who saw off the attention of Sol Campbell and fired into the bottom left corner.

Portsmouth kept up the pressure with the outstanding Defoe making everything happen in attack.

The former Tottenham striker started brightly and forced keeper Ross Turnbull into a good save low to his right after 12 minutes.

Portsmouth should have equalised just before the break but Papa Bouba Diop failed to make the most of a good Armand Traore cross.

Harry Redknapp took action at the interval by brining on John Utaka and the impressive debutant Nadir Belhadj and after a brief lull managed to turn the screw their way again.

On 59 minutes Crouch fed Defoe and, from what seemed like an impossible angle, the England man shot powerfully past Turnbull into the bottom-left corner.

Both Defoe and Boro's Stewart Downing saw strong penalty appeals turned down, but it was Defoe who deservedly got the late winner.

Defoe should have wrapped up the points with a hat-trick at the death after being skilfully set-up by new loan signing Belhadj, but he scuffed his shot.

Geraint Williams / Eurosport