Portsmouth 4-0 Wigan match report: The Daily Mirror verdict

Aruna Dindane completed his hat-trick just as his Ivory Coast strike partner Didier Drogba netted Chelsea's fourth on Saturday.

Both their goals came in the 90th minute of their respective Premier League matches. But while Drogba has been filling his boots since his arrival five years ago, Dindane has taken his time to find his stride since his summer loan move from Lens.

That all changed as Portsmouth unloaded for the second time in four days - this time on Wigan inspired by the south coast club's own little mini-Drogba.

Dindane's treble clinched Pompey's first league win of the season and started their fightback against the obituaries that had been written for them ever since the season started.

And yet again it was a performance that shattered the myth that foreign players are over here to make a quick buck but couldn't care less about the English clubs that they play for.

The fact that the miracle is even on for Pompey - a side that lost their first seven League games this season - is down to the refusal of the club's players to use the mess that the club is in to stop doing their jobs.

And now, with West Ham throwing away leads, Hull in freefall, Wolves without the strength in depth and Birmingham inconsistent, it really is game on in terms of the fight for survival.

For that, the credit must also go to coach Paul Hart for whom the players are ready to run through brick walls. The PA announcer had a bit of fun as the players strode out for action when he played the Rocky theme tune.

But Hart really is the Sylvester Stallone to his hungry young charges, all of them champing at the bit to get involved in the battle. Hart said later: "Players of that calibre know what it’s all about.  I’ve got great respect for them, especially for the way they’ve behaved and performed in difficult situations.

Dismissing talk of foreign mercenaries, he added: "I don’t think you could ever level that sort of criticism at any of our players, foreign or otherwise.  I work with them every day.  We might not always do things right but their efforts, well, you could never look at them and say they don’t care.

"To a man, the whole squad – and we had only 14/15 players at the start of the season - were giving everything. I have massive respect for the players at this football club, the ones who are here now and the ones who have been here before.

"They get on well. They’re a solid unit.  They’ve had unbelievable things to cope with, which I’m not gong to mention. But they’ve never complained they’ve just gone on with it.  And they’ve been superb professionals."

Dindane caressed the ball over Chris Kirkland to open the scoring ten minutes before half time. Strike partner Freddie Piquionne raced clear to make it two in first-half injury time with his third goal in two games.

After the break striker Dindane stabbed home from close range on 64 minutes to put Pompey 3-0 up. And the pocket rocket completed his treble from the spot after Kanu was blatantly tripped by Emmerson Boyce in the final minute.

Hart later refused to get ahead of himself in terms of sticking two fingers up at the Pompey detractors. He said: "Not yet  We’re still bottom.  I wouldn’t get in anybody’s face – I don’t think I’m like that. 

"At the end of the season we’ll be where where we will be but I maintain the belief that it will be in a safe position."

That will indeed be the case if Portsmouth continue to keep clean sheets. Marshalled by the excellent Younes Kaboul (what a difference since his days at Spurs!) Hart's men have not conceded since losing to Spurs three weeks ago.

Hart went on: "Clean sheets are a team effort.  You look at the way we defend there. We concede a bit of ground to teams when we play like that but the efforts to get around the pitch to close people down was absolutely astonishing. 

"Since he went to full-back Tal Ben Haim hasn’t put a foot wrong.  He’s been absolutely magnificent.  Steve Finnan’s done great, he’s got a bit of an injury now.  Nadir Belhadj comes on and he’s defending better than ever.

"Our two centre-backs (Kaboul and Marc Wilson) must be the youngest pairing in the Premiership, 23 and 21. They goalkeeper continues to defy the laws of gravity age and everything. 

"The players have now got to enjoy this tonight but we can’t get too excited because we know round the corner is another one where its tough.  But it was pleasing for them that they got a result, pleasing for the whole club, everybody, it’s great.  Now we’ve got to start thinking about Blackburn."

Indeed away trips to Rovers and Stoke follow this win with mighty Manchester United after that. But the belief in this Portsmouth side is such that you would back them to leapfrog their relegation rivals to safety.

Wigan, meanwhile, were a shadow of the hardworking side that stunned Chelsea a few weeks ago. Maybe, like their manager, they intend to go around the country apologising for what they have done before.

Martinez said later: “Maybe we are one of the most inconsistent teams in the Premier League (winning at Villa and Burnley, losing to Portsmouth) because there are reasons. You are looking at a new group, a big turnaround in players who had massive roles in the club last campaign.

“Now it is completely different, and sometimes you need to get through these painful lessons to learn. Especially in the first half of the campaign there are going to be a lot of lessons and some will be painful like today. But the important thing is that we learn from it and become a stronger and better team.

“That is the challenge, because you know this is the best league in the world, and we have a new project that will always give you that bit of inconsistency."