Wayne Rooney put boss David Moyes in seventh heaven as he almost single handedly dragged Everton away from the relegation dogfight.

The England striker grabbed the winner with 13 minutes left - his seventh of the season and third in his last three games - to give Moyes something to celebrate as he reaches his second anniversary as Goodison Park chief.

Rooney became increasingly influential on a drab, dour game that had fear written all over it. Pompey, without an away win all season, could have taken control in spells.

But in the end they could not contain Rooney's battling spirit. After he broke the deadlock he could easily have scored three more in the final moments as Harry Redknapp's side fell apart.

Everton are now eight points clear of the drop, and their debt to Rooney is clear for all to see. He just refused to accept that this golden chance of safety for Everton was going to slip away.

Everton brought Alex Nyarko into midfield in place of the suspended Thomas Gravesen, and welcomed Richard Wright back on the bench, the 'keeper having finally recovered from knee problems that have kept him out since September.

Portsmouth were without Russian Alexei Smertin, suspended, which allowed Steve Stone back into the starting line-up.

Pompey clearly were not suffering any hangover from their painful run-in with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

Pompey started brightly, with pace and movement, and skipper Arjan De Zeeuw, opting not to wear a face mask to protect his broken nose, saw an unopposed header blocked from a first minute corner.

Everton responded with good inter-play between Ferguson and Rooney to set up Kevin Kilbane for a 20-yarder that Shaka Hislop tipped over the bar.

And when Tobias Linderoth picked up a poor pass to put Tony Hibbert down the line, Rooney got on the end of the cross to half hit a shot wide.

But very soon the tempo dropped and the game deteriorated badly. Poor control, sloppy passing and wasted possession dogged both these struggling outfits.

Kevin Kilbane, with neat control and footwork, gave Petri Pasanen plenty of trouble down the left, but it was Portsmouth who were next to come close to scoring when first Aiyegbeni Yakubu and then Eyal Berkovic had shots blocked in the box as Everton's defence dithered.

Rooney was the bright spark among so much drabness, and he almost embarrassed Hislop in possession and showed plenty of fight and invention, but the support from his colleagues was sadly lacking.

On the half hour, Everton took off Ferguson, who seemed troubled by a leg injury, and sent on Radzinski. That change obviously altered Everton's system. The long ball to Ferguson was abandoned with two small strikers now up front and it served to stretch the play more as the pair made more ambitious runs wide.

Portsmouth brought on Matthew Taylor for Lomana LuaLua at the break, the on loan striker having suffered a leg injury in the first period.

Taylor's first involvement was to fire over a low cross following fine work by Amdy Faye and Berkovic, the ball just eluding an unmarked Yakubu, arriving on the far post.

Then Berkovic's neat pass gave Yakubu the chance to drill a low shot across the face of the goal and fractionally wide as Pompey sought to take advantage of a far more determined spell at the beginning of the second period.

But it all started to become pretty desperate, with Berkovic and Pasanen booked in quick succession before Redknapp went for more muscle up front by sending on Croatian striker Ivica Mornar, taking off Berkovic.

It seemed a surprising decision, the little midfielder looking the only player on the pitch able to unlock a defence with an inspired pass. He trudged away as Portsmouth opted for the long ball.

If anyone was to break the deadlock it was going to be Rooney and it came on 77 minutes. Radzinski claimed possession off Linvoy Primus' toes on the edge of the box and fed Rooney. The youngster dragged the ball away from Curtis' lunge and drilled a 12-yarder low past Hislop before embarking on a manic race around three quarters of the pitch to celebrate.

Maybe he should not have danced a little jig in front of the Pompey fans, holding his hand to his ear, as he cavorted. But referee Barry showed some indulgence and decided it was just youthful delight.

Three more times Rooney could have further unhinged Pompey. Four minutes after his goal he almost did the trick again, this time nicking the ball from De Zeeuw and dancing into a yard of space before lashing another effort just wide of the far post.

Seconds later from an almost identical position, he fired inches wide again and, in the dying seconds, he forced Hislop into a save with his legs from an acute angle to cap a solo performance that is absolutely priceless for Everton's top flight future.

Teams

Everton Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Naysmith, Watson, Nyarko, Linderoth, Kilbane, Ferguson (Radzinski 32), Rooney.

Subs Not Used: Wright, Unsworth, McFadden, Carsley.

Goals: Rooney 78.

Portsmouth Hislop, Pasanen, Primus, De Zeeuw, Curtis, Stone (Sheringham 80), Faye, Berkovic (Mornar 68), Hughes, LuaLua (Taylor 45), Yakubu.

Subs Not Used: Wapenaar, Todorov.

Booked: Berkovic, Pasanen.

Att: 40,105

Ref: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).