Ronan Curtis was delighted to help Pompey boost their promotion credentials with victory over Sunderland.
Top spot in League One at Christmas was already confirmed, but the Blues were feeling extra festive after winning 3-1 at a packed Fratton Park.
It was Curtis who drove home the second goal from an acute angle, adding to Gareth Evans’ penalty just after the break.
Luke O’Nien reduced the Black Cats’ deficit, only for a deflected finish from Ben Thompson to secure the points for the hosts.
And Curtis was pleased that extra training on improving his left-footed shooting paid off with his eighth goal of the campaign.
The forward said: “It was unbelievable. We’ve been working hard in training all week because it was always going to be tough and we got a great result.
“There wasn’t a lot in the first half, but we knew we had to be physical and get in their faces, so we dug in deep.
"I normally cut in on to the right, which is my good foot, but I’ve been practising with my left, so I’m getting stronger."
“We got the penalty to start it all off after the break and the fans were fantastic, which really gave us an extra edge.
“I normally cut in on to the right, which is my good foot, but I’ve been practising with my left, so I’m getting stronger.
“Sometimes you need to do one thing and other times you need something different, so I was pleased to get my goal.
“I was a bit frustrated for Sunderland’s one because there was a bit of a mix-up between me and Browny.
“But we know what we want to achieve at this club – we want to get promoted and be playing Championship football next season.
“We thought it might be a scrappy 1-0 type of game, but we were emphatic in the end and took our chances.”