From the moment Jay Mingi opened his Pompey account, the outcome was never really in any doubt.
And a 3-0 victory over Stevenage at a chilly Fratton Park secured comfortable passage through to the quarter-finals of the Papa Johns Trophy.
Mingi’s superb solo opener was added to by a calm Josh Koroma finish and Joe Pigott’s stoppage-time free-kick.
And Danny Cowley was delighted to watch a dominant display from his side against their in-form League Two opponents.
The Blues boss said: “It was good from us. We were able to find control and rhythm – it was as dominant a performance as we’ve had for a long time.
“The only criticism is that we’ve only managed to score three goals because we might have won by an even bigger margin.
“We were able to consistently get into the final third and I thought there were some excellent individual displays.
“Clark Robertson was outstanding, while I was so pleased for Joe because his all-round play deserved that goal.
"The only criticism is that we’ve only managed to score three goals because we might have won by an even bigger margin."
“He's got outstanding technical quality, but I was more impressed with how he brought others into the match and his work off the ball.
“The first goal was a lovely one, with Jay showing his pace and power before a really calm finish. These are the bits he needs to add to his game.
“That’s 94 times we’ve scored in this calendar year – which puts us behind just Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday.
“We have a lot of confidence and belief in ourselves, so will keep working diligently in order to improve.
“It was a positive night and I want to thank the crowd because there were plenty of reasons not to come, with a World Cup semi-final and the conditions. They created a great atmosphere.”
With a trip to Wembley now just two wins away, Cowley is keeping his fingers crossed for another Fratton fixture.
He said: “We’re in the last eight and, if we’re honest, this is the only cup competition we enter that we can realistically win.
“So we should definitely target that and we’re just hoping that we can be at home again in the next stage.”