There were a few grumbles after successive goalless draws against Cheltenham and Stevenage in League One.
But any criticism was answered in emphatic fashion as Pompey produced a display full of attacking flair to beat Peterborough at Fratton Park.
They fell behind to Ricky-Jade Jones’ finish in the first half, only for Colby Bishop and Abu Kamara to flip the contest on its head by the time the interval came around.
There were chances galore after the break and Regan Poole took one of them to wrap things up, ensuring a late red card for Joe Morrell did not prove costly.
And John Mousinho was delighted to see his side recover from a slow opening to pick up a deserved three points.
The Blues boss said: “We didn’t start particularly well, but after going behind, that was our most consistent performance so far.
“Once we’d gone 3-1 ahead in the second half, the only team that ever really looked like scoring was us.
"To take the lead and then not take a step back, but instead go again and again and again, it’s really pleasing."
“Up until we went down to 10 men, we were the completely dominant side and it feels like a pivotal moment for us.
“It’s not just about scoring three goals, it’s about putting down a marker against one of the strongest teams in this league.
“We looked slightly off it at the start and had changed the way we press, so I’ll take that on board. It’s my fault.
“So we changed that quickly in-game and I still felt we had the better opportunities and once we’d tweaked a few things, the mentality was brilliant.
“If we put the ball in the box, then Colby will win his fair share. He gets mauled and there were some penalty shouts, but he stuck at it and you saw the result.
“To take the lead and then not take a step back, but instead go again and again and again, it’s really pleasing.
“We’ve been criticised for not breaking sides down, so to create a lot of chances is something we’re really happy about.”
Tino Anjorin was not included in the matchday squad after completing a season-long loan switch from Chelsea earlier in the week.
Mousinho said: “He trained with us for the first time on Thursday and then again on Friday – with the natural break coming up, we didn’t want to risk anything.
“He’s not injured, but it’s different coming into a first team environment and we just want to manage him to make sure he can have an impact against Derby.”