Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was pleased after their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth.

"I think we're playing better, I really do," Hodgson told Sky Sports. "I think we showed fantastic spirit towards the end of last year and we didn't play badly either.

"There is far greater potential in the team this year and we are still gelling together. Zamora and Johnson are much, much better than they were in the opening two games and are beginning to understand each other, Gera is finding his feet and as a team we are looking a much stronger unit and a much better bet for avoiding relegation.

"We've got lots of games where our backs are to the wall and we are needing points in every game, and this is an important point as it's the first away point we've got this season."

Dempsey struck three minutes from time after Pompey had taken a 61st minute lead through Peter Crouch to leave Hodgson with a sense of deja vu.

The Fulham boss added: "It was a pretty exciting end. I thought it was a good game throughout and the tempo of the game was fast, and I thought it was a very even game.

"We went a goal down and it seemed like deja vu once again. From not looking like we're going a goal down, we go a goal down, but the reaction of the players was quite fantastic and we took the game to the opposition.

"We created a lot of chances and half chances. We had a few problems on the counter-attack as a result of it, which one would expect, but luckily our pressure paid off and we got the equalising goal which I think we fully deserved."