Diniyar Bilyaletdinov finished Everton's season in spectacular style with a 94th minute winner at Goodison Park.
The sell out crowds at Goodison witnessed a game that could well have surmised the story of Everton's season as a poor first half gave way to a more fruitful second.
David Moyes opted for his familiar 4-5-1 formation giving starts to Jack Rodwell in midfield and Louis Saha who led the line supported by Victor Anichebe.
Saha had the best chance to give the Blues an early lead when he headed over from six yards what was Everton's best chance of the half.
If Avram Grant had one eye on next week's FA Cup final he it wasn't to be seen in a team selection which included Frederic Piquionne, John Utaka.
And it was Piquionne who might have given Pompey the lead, having shaken off Phil Jagielka he was foiled by a good piece of goalkeeping by Tim Howard.
The second half saw a lot more of the attacking football that Everton have played in the second half of their season and it could have paid dividends with Victor Anichebe and Mikel Arteta, who was a constant threat, both going close.
The telling decision in the game came on 66 minutes when David Moyes, as he did against in the Blues' last home fixture, plucked a winning goal scorer off the bench.
Bilyaletdinov had been left on the bench following some frustrating performances, which in past weeks has caused some Evertonians to question the £9 million pound midfielder's suitability to the English game.
However the Russian showed another of what are becoming trademark flashed of brilliance when he collected a pass from the returning John Heitinga and lashed a 25 yard strike into the top right hand corner of Pompey keeper Jamie Ashdown's net.
Bilyaletdinov had only collected Everton's goal of the season award for another long distance drive which stunned Edwin Van Der Sar at Goodison, had the awards ceremony been next week, he may well have scooped the award for a more recent strike.
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Teams :
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Distin, Arteta(Heitinga 84), Pienaar, Osman, Rodwell (Yakubu 55), Saha, Anichebe (Bilyaletdinov 66), SUBS: Turner, Yobo, Senderos, Baxter.
Portsmouth: Ashdown, Rocha, Finnan, Vanden Borre, Mokoena (Ben-Haim 66), Mullins, Diop, Utaka, Boateng, Wilson (O'Hara 46), Piquionne (Basinas 77), SUBS: O'Brien, Ritchie, Smith.
Ref: P. Walton
Att: 38,730
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