Jermain Defoe kick-started Portsmouth's season in style with a brilliant brace and a clever assist to condemn Everton to a second successive Barclays Premier League home defeat.
Harry Redknapp's men arrived on Merseyside having lost their previous six league encounters in a dismal run stretching back to the end of last season.
But Defoe, 25, found the net with a typically predatory effort in the 12th minute - Portsmouth's first goal in 528 minutes - and then turned provider with an exquisite pass to send Glen Johnson for a second five minutes before the break.
Pompey's 2-0 advantage could have been halved two minutes after the restart but David James enhanced his status as England's first choice goalkeeper with a superb penalty save from former Pompey striker Yakubu.
Defoe, fittingly, had the final say with a brilliant chipped effort in the 69th minute that left Redknapp punching the air in delight.
While much has been made of Portsmouth's so-called foreign legion, this was a victory very much made in England.
Defoe, Johnson, James and new recruit Peter Crouch all underlined their claims to be included in Fabio Capello's plans for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia with fine displays at Goodison Park to lift Pompey off the foot of the table and increase Everton boss David Moyes' worries.
Moyes is still desperately short of numbers - he has made three signings but none made the starting line-up - and made just one change from the side which triumphed 2-1 at West Brom last weekend.
Rookie striker James Vaughan replaced 16-year-old midfielder Jose Baxter as Moyes sought to provide support for Yakubu in attack.
Portsmouth - physically imposing and unchanged from the side which lost 1-0 to Manchester United - always had the edge on Moyes' men.
It was so simple yet so effective and began when Crouch deftly flicked on Armand Traore's throw-in into Defoe's path.
The former Tottenham man was 12 yards from goal but he showed outstanding awareness to shield the ball from Joleon Lescott and produce a delightful piece of footwork which engineered the space to turn and slip a low right-foot shot past a stunned Tim Howard.
The goal poured confidence into the visitors and full-backs Johnson and Traore were ready and willing to push forward at every opportunity.
In the 17th minute, Johnson advanced forward down the right flank and swung in a deep cross which found Crouch at the far post.
The towering forward nodded the ball back into Defoe's path and he again showed nimble feet to turn and rifle in a shot from 18 yards which drew a smart stop from Howard.
Everton began to wake up as the half progressed and a piece of clever play from former Portsmouth forward Yakubu almost reaped dividends in the 22nd minute.
The powerful Nigerian crossed dangerously from the left flank and Mikel Arteta arrived to connect with a half-volley which James turned onto the post with a brilliant one-handed save.
The ball rebounded off the post and straight back to Arteta but James quickly smothered the ball to deny the Spaniard once again. Everton continued to press forward and shortly after the half-hour mark they fashioned two opportunities which almost led to goals.
In the 32nd minute left-back Leighton Baines swung in a deep cross which James missed and which Vaughan headed back across the face of goal.
Yakubu somehow