Manchester City beat Portsmouth 3-1 in a match littered with chances to move within two points of the south coast club as they both chase an Intertoto Cup spot.

Darius Vassell and Martin Petrov scored in quick succession early in the first half to give the home side a two-goal cushion, but John Utaka pulled one back 10 minutes later.

Portsmouth were reduced to 10 men before half-time after a professional foul by Hermann Hreidarsson and with a quarter-of-an-hour to play Benjani, facing his former club, smashed home from 20 yards.

The points see City go above Blackburn in the Premier League table as they chase down Portsmouth in seventh place and Aston Villa, occupying the Intertoto Cup place, in sixth.

Pompey were stunned by two goals in three minutes after an indifferent opening period.

In the 10th minute David James left his penalty area on the right-hand side but dallied as Sol Campbell tried to leave the ball for him, allowing Benjani to steal it away and pass inside to Stephen Ireland.

He looked to shoot with James stranded and as his effort ran across goal, Vassell arrived around the back to finish.

The crowd were still celebrating that when Elano - filling in at right-back after Sun Jihai went down with an illness - crossed from the right and the ball found its way across the penalty area to Petrov. The Bulgarian controlled and found a yard of space before poking towards goal, James wrongfooted completely by a deflection off the inside of Campbell's leg.

On 24 minutes Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra found Defoe with a cross and his free header past the home back-line allowed Utaka time and space to finish from inside the six-yard box and reduce the arrears.

Benjani had a good game against his previous employers, although his work around the penalty area was better than his finishing inside it.

He seemed a touch hesitant when chances arrived, for example when Elano drilled a magnificent diagonal ball over the top and he headed tamely into James's arms. He could also earlier have won a penalty when he dinked a cross from the by-line that a sliding Campbell put out for a corner with his arm.

Five minutes before half-time Hreidarsson was sent for an early bath when his flailing arm was deemed to have impeded Vassell as be broke into the box, referee Andre Marriner also judging that the diminutive attacker would have got to the ball before the onrushing James.

Vassell curled a magnificent shot from the corner of the box that looked to be dipping under the bar before James showed why he is currently regarded as England's number one by throwing himself into a dive and tipping away at full-stretch.

Portsmouth could also have had a penalty four minutes into the second half when City captain Richard Dunne caught Defoe as he met a near-post cross, but the referee pointed instead for a goal-kick.

In the 55th minute the fans were treated to end-to-end action when first Benjani controlled on the turn delightfully before contriving to volley over the bar with the goal gaping, then Pompey countered and struck both posts through Sulley Muntari and Utaka - the first a good save by Joe Hart.

The result was put beyond doubt when Ireland's reverse pass was controlled by Benjani, who side-stepped Distin and fired an unstoppable shot inside James's gaping near post.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport