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By Chris Whyatt
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 Davis came off the bench to provide the game's late climax
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Sean Davis's winner saw Portsmouth edge a thrilling second half over battling Blackburn to earn Tony Adams a first win as boss at Fratton Park.
Peter Crouch hit his own post in a lively first period but easily nodded in the opener after 48 minutes.
Jermain Defoe soon slotted in Pompey's second but Blackburn hit back through substitute Matt Derbyshire's looped header and Tugay's fizzing 20-yarder.
Yet Davis clipped in late to leave Paul Ince's side winless in nine games.
That record means Blackburn are now on their worst league run in a decade and leaves the club sitting 19th in the table.
Former England team-mates Adams and Ince were in opposite dugouts before kick-off and, with both managers still finding their feet in their first season as Premier League bosses, the match was lent an interesting subtext.
Unsurprisingly showing the confidence of a team who drew 2-2 with Italian giants AC Milan in the Uefa Cup on Thursday, Portsmouth hit the ground running and should have taken a fourth minute lead.
Johnson played a sharp pass through to Crouch whose through-ball was met by Glen Little, but the Pompey midfielder could only shoot straight at a back-pedalling Paul Robinson.
Crouch was proving an influential pivot in attack with the hosts pressing hard and Armand Traore fired a low shot just wide.
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606: DEBATE
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But Blackburn did carve out chances as Stephen Warnock miscued from 10 yards out with his weaker right foot before Roque Santa Cruz, after being delicately laid in by Benni McCarthy, crashed a low shot just past the post from 18 yards out.
The visitors came within inches of the lead when Crouch, attempting to clear Brett Emerton's viciously inswinging corner, flicked a header onto his own post with David James stranded.
Crouch then should have scored himself just before half-time but headed over from six yards after Traore had chipped over a superb cross.
Pompey boss Adams sought to add a touch more composure after the interval as Niko Kranjcar was brought on for Glen Little - and it had an immediate effect.
Marauding Johnson, in outstanding form recently swung over a perfect 48th minute cross which Crouch steered back beyond Robinson and inside the post for a simple opener.
Minutes later Croatian midfielder Kranjcar fed Defoe who turned sharply before bamboozling Christopher Samba and slotting the ball easily past Robinson from 12 yards.
Yet Blackburn showed their steel by getting one back within ten minutes as Derbyshire, on for Benni McCarthy nodded a deep, bouncing Morten Gamst Pederson cross over David James.
And by the 66th minute they were level as, remarkably, Pompey let Tugay motor forward from 50 yards out before the Turkish midfielder rifled a low shot from 20 yards out just inside James' near post.
Blackburn scented an unlikely victory and Derbyshire again had the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled out for a Christopher Samba foul on James in the build up to the substitute's hooked finish.
Pompey were not done though and midfielder Papa Bouba Diop muscled forward from deep to force a smart Robinson block.
With Blackburn unable to clear their lines from the rebound substitute Davis, on for Traore, pounced on the loose ball before advancing to deftly chip over Robinson from eight yards.
Derbyshire had a late chance to level in a frenetic finish but his reactions were not quick enough to convert Santa Cruz's cross.
BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match on 90 minutes: Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe 7.63 (on 90 minutes).
Please note that you can still give the players marks out of 10 on BBC Sport's Player Rater after the match has finished.
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