Benjani Treble Cures Pompey's Home Woes Benjani hit an impressive hat-trick to end Portsmouth's six-match goal famine at Fratton Park against Derby C

Derby County stunned Portsmouth when their 19-year-old defender Lewin Nyatanga capitalised on a lively start by prodding the ball home after just five minutes.

However, Benjani produced a first-half brace and then sealed victory with a third after the break to complete his own hat-trick and give the home fans something to celebrate again.

Debutant Lassana Diarra made an effective start to his Pompey career after his midweek move from Arsenal, bur it was Derby who started the better, as if determined to get their first win since Paul Jewell was appointed.

Jewell started with all five of his January signings, and they looked lively and purposeful as a team.

And five minutes after the start, ex-Pompey winger Laurent Robert's inviting free-kick to the far post was headed back across goal and keeper David James could only push Emanuel Villa's effort against the bar, for Nyatanga to convert the loose ball from six yards. It was his first Premier League goal.

The game might have had a different outcome if Derby had added a second goal just moments later, but James got the better of Kenny Miller in a one-on-one.

Portsmouth striker Kevin Nugent volleyed over from eight yards, but defensively they looked vulnerable, with Derby looking confident - until the game changed dramatically in four minutes at the end of the first-half.

First Portsmouth equalised when Sylvian Distin's ball into the penalty area allowed Nugent and Pedro Mendes to set up Benjani, who with his back to goal, swivelled and fired into the top corner in a deft and decisive movement.

And then, just seconds after they levelled, Pompey took the lead. Again it was Benjani who did the damage to Derby, rising unmarked to head Hermann Hreidarsson's cross past Derby goalkeeper Lewis Price.

Ten minutes into the second-half, Pompey put the game beyond Derby's reach as Benjani completed his treble.

The Zimbabwe international linked with Mendes in a one-two on a swift counter-attack before planting the ball beyond the diving Price and into the far corner.

It could have been worse for the Rams in the end, the impressive Nico Kranjcar going close on two occasions.

But as it is, Derby find themselves 13 points from safety with only 14 games left in which to save themselves.

I Am No Mercenary, Insists Diarra Portsmouth surprise signing Lassana Diarra has hit back at claims that he only plans to use Fratton Park as a stepp

Almost immediately after the 22-year-old French midfielder joined Pompey on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Arsenal, there were accusations in the press that he wast just out for a quick and easy pay day before inevitably shopping himself around to a more prestigious European side.

Diarra, however, insists that he was not motivated by short-term gains and that he has high hopes for Portsmouth.

"I want to be here and I have come here to focus on my football. Of course, I want to keep my place in the French national team but that will be no problem if I play here and do well," he said.

"This is a really good team with some really good players. I have watched Pompey and I believe we can qualify for Europe with the players we have here."

Diarra did not exactly leave the Emirates Stadium under the best of terms, after publicly complaining about his lack of first team action under Arsene Wenger, but he insists that there are no hard feelings.

"It was difficult to leave a great club like Arsenal and I never had a problem with Arsène Wenger," he added.

"I still wish them good luck and I still think they could win the Premier League, but I have to focus on my own career and the only way to do that is by playing and playing well."

Fred On The Way To Boro Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp accepted defeat in the race to sign Lyon striker Fred, claiming that Middlesbrough were wil

The French champions recently revealed they had accepted bids for Fred from Portsmouth, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, but also stated that they wished for the Brazilian to remain in France.

However, it seems the talented hot-shot will not be arriving at Fratton Park any time soon after a disgruntled Redknapp hinted that the player demanded excessive wages.

"Fred? Fred who? There is no way we can afford Fred at Lyon. I think he's going to Middlesbrough anyway," Redknapp told the Portsmouth News.

Baffled Harry Heads For The Market Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp was left baffled after watching his lacklustre side succumb to a 2-0 defeat away

Redknapp watched on as Pompey, who have won nine of their last ten away matches, were second-best to eighteenth-placed Sunderland, Keiran Richardson scoring both goals for Roy Keane’s men as they secured all three points.

The 60-year old feels that the disappointing display was due to the weeks’ speculation, linking him to the managerial vacancy at Newcastle, and the loss of strikers John Utaka and Nkwankwo Kanu and midfielders Sulley Muntari and Papa Bouba Diop to international duty

“I don't know [what to put the defeat down to]. Nine out 10 [away games] we had won previous to today," he told Sky Sports.

"We started okay and Benjani [Mwaruwari] had a good chance to score. But once they scored we became ragged.

"It certainly wasn't one of our better performances. They [Sunderland] played well, they were dangerous. Full credit to them.

"We'll pick ourselves up again. It has been a draining week [for me]; we will recoup and pick the lads up for next week.”

Redknapp also feels that the club must invest in replacements for the players they have temporarily lost, at least for the short-term, to ensure their bid for European football isn’t derailed as it was during the last campaign.

"We need to strengthen a little bit. We are short; there is no doubt about that,” he added.

"We need to get one or two in this week to give us a little bit of strength and depth."