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STOKE, England: Jamaica striker Ricardo Fuller's neat finish was good enough to give Stoke City a 1-0 win over Premier League strugglers Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.
Fuller's turn and shot 16 minutes from time - his first Premier League goal of the season - came after a quick interchange of passes between Matthew Etherington and Dean Whitehead.
Pompey, who lost England goalkeeper David James to injury during the warm-up, had earlier seen Kevin-Prince Boateng's eighth-minute penalty saved by Thomas Sorensen.
"I needed that goal to get my season started in terms of scoring," Fuller told Sky Sports. "As a striker you get marked on scoring goals. It was a good plus for me and for the team as well.
"I did what I needed to do, turned nicely and put the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net."
Danish keeper Sorensen added he did have a plan when it came to penalties but would not reveal his tactics.
"I have got statistics on penalties and have my theories about it but I am not going to share them," said Sorensen. "I was delighted with it and it came at a crucial time for us at 0-0."
Blustery conditions made life tough for both teams and Sorensen added: "It was very difficult.
"It was very windy but with this man (Fuller) up front it just takes one moment of brilliance. That's what we needed on the day. We can't say that we played well but we got the win."
Bottom of the table Portsmouth have now lost 10 of their 13 league matches this season. But manager Paul Hart refused to castigate his team.
"At the moment I feel very hard done by," he said. "Then again we had a penalty and you would expect to score it.
"I don't think our goalie has had a shot to save, so we have to say we should have come out with something.
"I couldn't see Stoke scoring. I was comfortable."
Hart added: "The defenders were excellent, the midfielders were superb. We could have perhaps created a bit more in the last third, around the box, but I thought we were in control.
"It is very hard to be critical of my players because through thick and thin they have tried to win football matches." - AFP/de
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