Erik Huseklepp scored a wonderful volley in the fourth minute of stoppage time to ensure Pompey stole all three points against Blackpool.
Whilst the euphoria of the strike was well worth waiting for and the three points most welcome, this should not paper over the cracks of what was a disjointed display by Steve Cotterill's men.
A suited Steve Cotterill replaced the suspended Luke Varney with the returning Liam Lawrence and decided to play Aaron Mokoena beside Jason Pearce in the centre of defence with Greg Halford moving to right back.
Pompey made a bright start to the game as they usually do but a catastrophic error in defence should have seen them fall behind.
A Blackpool through ball was left by every Pompey around it which allowed Matt Phillips a clean run through on goal. Thankfully, his poor shot was straight at the legs of Jamie Ashdown and rebound was skewed well wide by Tom Ince.
Phillips had another great chance soon after when the Pompey defence failed to mark him and he had a clean shot at goal, only for him to drag his shot wide.
A lacklustre Pompey did have a great chance to go ahead late in the half but Ward could only direct his free header from Lawrence's corner wide when he should have done better.
Pompey's only other chance of the half came when a "clever" free kick routine from Pompey saw Norris and Pearce stage a collision as they both ran for the ball, only for Norris to quickly square the ball for Pearce whose shot was blocked by a Blackpool wall that wasn't being fooled by such shenanigans.
Blackpool's free kick was much more straightforward, with Ince forcing Ashdown to tip the ball over the bar with a dipping effort. That brought an end to a half of football which was low on chances and quality passing football from Pompey.
Pompey began the second half with some inventive football that almost came off. Keith Southern had to cut out a nice little pass to Lawrence who was through on goal whilst Huseklepp produced a super crossfield pass to find the Irishman in space but he could only shoot straight at Matt Gilks.
The game then lulled with the only "bright" point being the substitution of an injured Mokoena for Ricardo Rocha which was cheered by the home crowd.
As the game entered stoppage time Pompey decided to finally up the tempo with Ben-Haim shooting wide and Ward forcing Gilks into a good save to preserve what he and everyone else thought would be a point for the visitors.
However, in the dying seconds of the game a Halford long throw saw the ball bounce to Huseklepp and with his back to the goal, he somehow managed to twist his leg and strike a powerful volley into the net to spark wild celebrations at Fratton Park from fans and players alike.
In honesty, this wasn't a great game to watch but was much improved on the performance at Hull last week. There was less hoof ball and a couple of clever moments which almost worked. Unfortunately there were too many wayward passes and Blackpool played the better quality of football, as a side just relegated from the Premier League should.
There were positives to take from the game as Huseklepp's overall performance, not just his goal, suggests he is settling into English football and scoring with such a superb volley will only increase his confidence further.
If Mokoena's injury is more than just a minor problem then it will be interesting to see how Rocha and Pearce play a full match together. Halford's performance was good at right back so he may just stay there a little longer whilst Ward also showed some attacking intent in midfield.
There is still a lot of work for Steve Cotterill to do if he is to convince us that this side are capable of doing good things under his management. If we hadn't of won this game then this report would have mentioned more of the 90-minute borefest and the fact that even more fans in the ground are feeling disgruntled about the way Pompey play.
But for now Cotterill can thank a Norwegian's special strike at the death to earn him a reprieve. We shall find out on Tuesday just how much of a catalyst this much needed win will prove to be.
Pompey Player Ratings
Jamie Ashdown: 6 - Not too much to do in truth but had to make one vital block.
Greg Halford: 6 - Slotted into his "new" role seamlessly.
Jason Pearce: 6 - Had the defence organised for the most part.
Aaron Mokoena: 6 - Guilty of a lapse in concentration but solid otherwise.
Tal Ben-Haim: 6 - Solid showing.
Hayden Mullins: 6 - Got stuck in.
Joel Ward: 6 - Missed a free header but showed some attacking intent.
David Norris: 6 - Some inventive play.
Liam Lawrence: 5 - Still looks slightly off the pace.
Erik Huseklepp: 8 - Provided a threat and scored a tremendous winner.
Benjani: 5 - Pompey struggled to get the ball to him.
Substitutes
Stephen Henderson
Ricardo Rocha (Mokoena 59): 6 - Kept things tight.
Ryan Williams
Kanu (Norris 78): N/A - No real impact.
Marko Futacs