Avram Grant breathed a sigh of relief after leading Portsmouth to their first victory since he took over as manager following the 2-0 Premier League home win over Burnley.

Beaten 4-0 by defending champions Manchester United last weekend and 4-2 by Aston Villa in the Carling Cup quarter-finals in midweek, the Israeli steered Portsmouth home in a relegation six-pointer with goals from Hermann Hreidarsson and Aruna Dindane temporarily lifting them off the foot of the table.

The result followed a turbulent week off the pitch as for the second time in two months, the club failed to meet its financial commitments to the squad.

Grant said: “It is always a good feeling to win, especially with a team not used to winning many times. After one week in charge it was good to get three points. We needed the points because we were bottom of the table, so to get them made me happy.”

"One thing I try to teach my players is how to be players with character. This is most important.”