Bolton Wanderers' start to the new Premier League season went from bad to worse after the club succumbed to a third straight defeat against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Bolton took an early lead thanks to a 12th minute goal by Nicolas Anelka. But Nwankwo Kanu equalized for the home team four minutes later and goals from John Utaka and Matthew Taylor sealed the win for Portsmouth.

Portsmouth were without Sol Campbell and Pedro Mendes, who were out injured while Sulley Muntari was suspended for the match. Bolton played with just one striker upfront with captain Kevin Nolan playing in a supporting role for Anelka.

After a slow start, Bolton took the lead in the 12th minute when Anelka latched on to a pass from El-Hadji Diouf before holding off Hermann Hreidarsson and smashing the ball through the legs of David James. However the lead did not last long as Portsmouth struck back through Kanu.

Hreidarsson snatched the ball from Anelka and released Gary O'Neil on the right wing. The subsequent cross was passed on by Utaka to Kanu and the Nigerian striker made no mistake in scoring past Jussi Jaaskelainen. Benjani had a great chance of scoring his second goal in as many matches when rose to meet a cross from Utaka but headed the ball over the bar.

Kanu and Utaka linked up again to give Portsmouth the lead in the 30th minute, this time Kanu turning the provider. A delightful flick found Utaka clear and the 25-year old striker easily rounded Jaaskelainen to score his second goal for the club.

Bolton nearly hit back a minute after conceding, but Anelka's header went just wide of the target with James struggling to cover the shot. However the visitors looked short of ideas and while they presented a threat to Portsmouth's goal, they were unable to create any clear chances.

Portsmouth sealed the game with 2 minutes of normal time when Kanu was fouled inside the penalty area by Gerald Cid and Taylor made no mistake in converting the chance. Bolton boss Sammy Lee will have to solidify his defense if he stands any chance of bouncing back from the poor start to claim the European spot.

Portsmouth next face a tough trip to Chelsea while Bolton will be searching for their first points of the season when they face Reading on Saturday. Watch Premiership football live on free-football.tv.