Fans leapt from their seats and limbs went flying as the ball hit the back of the net.
But one man remained calm amidst all the chaos after Andre Green’s stoppage-time shot gave Pompey the lead at Championship high-flyers Norwich.
Kenny Jackett was instead plotting how to wrap up the Emirates FA Cup third round contest, although there was ultimately no time for the hosts to hit back.
They had been playing with 10 men for most of the contest, with skipper Grant Hanley seeing red for an early foul on Ronan Curtis.
Pompey had to wait until the very end to make that numerical advantage count and Jackett was pleased with their progress.
The Blues boss said: “I was just thinking about making my third substitution and getting Christian Burgess on because I knew the kitchen sink was coming at us.
“But it was only about 20 seconds and we didn’t even have time to do the change, which I was quite pleased about.
“It’s a competition we definitely want to progress in and to get through to the fourth round is something we can tuck away and look forward to.
"You saw what it meant with the scenes at the end, with many younger players who haven’t played against this standard of opposition and a terrific fan-base that really got behind us."
“We’ll focus on the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday and predominantly our league games, but it’s exciting to be in the draw.
“It was a different test for us against a side flying in the Championship and they made a lot of changes, although have a very strong squad.
“The sending off was a key moment and I did think it was a red card because Ronan was in a position where I don’t think anyone would have caught him.
“We had chances in both halves and had spells when we were on top, although there were also times when our energy levels dropped and we allowed Norwich to build momentum.
“Green in the hole behind the front man was interesting and it’s his fifth goal for us after a tough start because of his injury. He looked lively when he came on.
“You saw what it meant with the scenes at the end, with many younger players who haven’t played against this standard of opposition and a terrific fan-base that really got behind us.”
Pompey will discover their next opponents when the fourth round draw takes place on Monday evening.
Jackett said: “You’re always looking for one of the Premier League big-boys, but we’ll take whatever comes along.”