Portsmouth 3 Wolves 1

Wolves produced one of their sloppiest performances of the season as they crashed to relegated Portsmouth.

Goals from Aruna Dindane, John Utaka and Michael Brown rendered Kevin Doyle's 35th minute equaliser irrelevant, in a horror show at both ends for Mick McCarthy's side.

The entire back four were sloppy throughout as Pompey claimed their first win in six Premier League games.

After a lethargic opening period, the visitors' best period came in the first 15 minutes of the second-half when Doyle hit the post and substitute Sylvan Ebanks-Blake poked the rebound wide of an open goal.

But Pompey's third goal put paid to any hopes of a comeback.

Geoffrey Mujangi Bia, one of two changes to the team with captain Karl Henry making his 150th league appearance for Wolves, had the first chance with a shot that took a deflection to leave David James stretching.

David Jones had the next chance, when his curling 30-yard free kick had James diving full length.

Jody Craddock should then have given the visitors a 20th minute lead sliding in on the goalline at the far post, after Doyle headed on a Jones corner only to arrive fractionally too late.

Wolves were made to pay for their wastefulness within seconds when Pompey took the lead, a suspiciously offside-looking Dindane glancing home Brown's free kick carelessly given away by Craddock.

Two minutes later goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann denied Pompey a second goal, flinging himself to the left to keep out Frederic Piquionne's volley after the French striker had burst clear and beaten Craddock.

Wolves hit back and twice went close to a reply within four minutes before levelling in the 35th minute.

Zubar ended up in the net after racing in inches too late to convert Jones's volleyed cross, before Mujangi Bia's angled effort from the edge of the six-yard box hit James square in the face.

Doyle finally converted his eighth goal of the season after his initial shot was saved by James, who first stopped Zubar's flying header from another Jones volleyed cross.

But parity was shortlived as Pompey restored their lead within four minutes when Utaka easily turned Michael Mancienne and beat Hahnemann at his near post, as Wolves defended sloppily at a throw-in.

In an open game, Doyle was denied his second goal when James smothered at his feet after Mujangi Bia – making his first Premier League start - spotted his superb run to split the defence.

Wolves, who brought on Chris Iwelumo for Mujangi Bia at half-time, dominated the first part of the second half as they went in search of an equaliser.

Doyle had James performing all sorts of acrobatics on 55 with an angled hooked looping shot that was heading for the top corner of the net, until the goalkeeper clawed it away following Kevin Foley's cross.

The Wolves striker then hit the post on 59 with a left foot shot on the turn and substitute Ebanks-Blake fired the rebound wide of an open goal.

But the visitors were again made to pay for their poor finishing when Pompey claimed their third goal on 67.

Brown drove an angled shot across Hahnemann, who appeared to dive over the ball after Foley had failed to close down the midfielder quick enough from Piquionne's cross.

But the goal was down to more sloppy defending from Wolves, after George Elokobi gave the ball away upfield.

Hahnemann recovered to smother from substitute and one-time Wolves target Tommy Smith, after Portsmouth broke the length of the pitch from a Wolves corner via Kevin-Prince Boateng.

With three strikers on the pitch for Wolves, the game became end to end and the visitors broke again through Foley, who could only fire straight at James from six yards out.

Worse was to follow though as Ebanks-Blake somehow poked wide from inside the six-yard box, after outmuscling Lennard Sowah challenging for Christophe Berra's header back into the danger area.

Wolves were spared a fourth goal when Piquionne lashed over from the edge of the six-yard box, after Jones failed to get near Smith who crossed.

There was no way back for McCarthy's side, as they ended their travels in a deserved defeat in a match their sell-out 2,400 backing will want to forget.