Pompey grabbed a point thanks to a second half equaliser but not before a lively Stoke side had outplayed the table toppers in the first period, and deservedly gone ahead.

But Pompey boss Harry Redknapp made two key substitutions, changed the system at the break, and, with the Blues finally in control, Jason Crowe slid in to bring the scores level.

The Potters' performance totally belied their recent appalling form and Redknapp was impressed by their all-action display.

"Their first half performance was as good as anybody has played against us this season," he admitted.

"They played ever so well, and, if they had taken their chances, then it could have been game over for us at half time.

"We were very poor in that first half and I told the boys I was very disappointed.

"I woke them up at half time, and put Kevin Harper and Jason Crowe on to give us some width, which we had lacked. They both did well out wide.

"After I had changed it around we looked much better. It's not about systems though, but how players approach games.

"I demanded better in the second half and I got it.

"I am satisfied with a point, and we have to expect that teams are going to raise their games against us."

Stoke boss, and former Pompey manager, Tony Pulis was equally satisfied with the point.

"We were terrific in the first half, but Portsmouth have more quality than anyone else in this division and they were bound to come back at us," he said.

Pompey missed the suspended Matthew Taylor, as Redknapp acknowledged. "With Taylor out we had no one to play down the left in our system, so I took a gamble second half by putting Harper out there and it worked well," he said.

"Paul Ritchie has done well for us defensively on the left, but his loan spell expires next week and we will be talking to Manchester City about that."

Stoke's vibrant first-half performance was rewarded by Brynjar Gunnarsson's first goal of the season on 32 minutes.

Before that, Pompey keeper Shaka Hislop had produced a stunning save to deny Andy Cooke, and the same player missed two gilt-edged chances as the home side dominated.

Half time brought a Pompey switch to 3-5-2 and immediately there was a total transformation.

Surprisingly, it was overlapping defender Linvoy Primus who finally set up the deserved equaliser on 72 minutes for Crowe who touched the ball home from two yards.

That was the signal for a barrage of shots and chances from the now rampant visitors, but Potters keeper Steve Banks kept them out.

Pompey: Hislop, De Zeeuw, Foxe, Primus, Ritchie (Harper), Robinson (Crowe), Diabate, Quashie, Merson, Todorov. Subs Unused: Kawaguchi, O'Neil, Burchill.

Stoke: Banks, Thomas, Shtanuk, Handyside, Hall, Marteinsson, Henry (Goodfellow), Neal (Marteinsson), Gudjonsson, Greenacre (Mooney), Cooke. Subs Unused: Cutler, Iwelumo.