Pompey's first game under charge of new manager Tony Adams started in a defeat as Pompey slumped to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty.
Pompey nearly hung onto a point but when Bouba Diop strangely handled the ball in the 75th minute, the referee, Steve Tanner, pointed to the spot, with Gerrard burying the ball into the net seconds later.
Liverpool started the better of the two sides, with David James having to push Dirk Kuyt's effort on to the post to keep the reds out.
Pompey started in a 4-5-1 formation with Jermain Defoe making way for John Utaka - a risky decision by Adams, but a decision that was definately worth while as Pompey fans saw a different John Utaka than recent days.
Pompey could have taken the lead, with debatebly the best chance of the half as Sean Davis' cross met Bouba Diop, who although had time to chest the ball down and slot it away, headed it into the arms of Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.
Liverpool had shots flying everywhere but in the net with Gerrard, Carragher, and Kuyt all going close, and the half-time whistle couldn't have come at a better time for Pompey.
Adams' first half-time speech must have matched one of Harry's great ones as Pompey's solid defence restarted from the off, with Slyvain Distin magnificently denying Yossi Benayoun with a superb sliding tackle to dispossess the Israeli.
James was then forced to make a flying save from Fabio Aurelio's effort, and it seemed that maybe it was Pompey's day and they could hang on for a cheeky point, but that all changed on 75.
Tanner pointed to the spot as Bouba Diop needlessly handled the ball in the area, Gerrard stepped up to fire Liverpool into the lead - David James diving the right way, but not quite making it.
Adams' Pompey through everything they had up-front in the dying minutes with a quality cross from Nadir Belhadj failing to meet either Utaka or Crouch who were ready to pounce.
Although it will reported in the papers and on websites that Liverpool comfortably won, and Redknapp's 4-4 draw against Spurs was better than Adams' 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, I believe that it is a massive improvement on last season, seen as we lost 4-1 in the same game last year. Maybe because of a lack of Torres and Keane, although we were without Johnson, Campbell and Kranjcar so neither side can be slated for not throwing their all.
A big improvement on last year's game, and although we spent most of the game on the back-foot, we're still 7th in the league, sandwiched between English and European champions Man Utd and the worlds richest club Man City.
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