Substitute Kanu grabbed the solitary goal as Portsmouth beat Bolton 1-0 in Saturday's Premier League clash at Fratton Park. The former Arsenal player got the final touch on fellow substitute Nadir Belhadj's inswinging corner in the 78th minute to secure victory.
However, the win was tempered by the sight of Niko Kranjcar being carried off with a serious looking injury.
Kranjcar went down writhing in agony from a challenge which saw Bolton's Gavin McCann booked but he had hardly been ferried down the tunnel when sub Belhadj, recently out of favour with manager Paul Hart despite a £4million move to Fratton Park in January from Lens, used his first touch to fashion a viciously curling corner on the right.
Jussi Jaaskelainen, who had been Bolton's hero in the first half, allowed the ball to squirm from his grasp and Kanu, who had come on for David Nugent after 71 minutes, claimed the touch to bundle the ball home.
Belhadj and Peter Crouch could easily have added to Pompey's lead in the six minutes which referee Phil Dowd added on at the end and they would have deserved it - so much did they dominate Bolton.
But one goal will clearly be enough to satisfy the Pompey faithful this time, after the frustration of a string of draws against relegation rivals.
All-action Glen Johnson would have had a hat-trick in a first half which Pompey ruled but for the superb goalkeeping of Jaaskelainen.
Just back from suspension the England full back reverted to a midfield role and seemed to cover every blade of grass on the field.
He had two shots that flew wildly wild and then over the bar before ploughing through the middle and drilling a 16-yard drive straight at the Finland keeper in the 26th minute.
That enlivened what had been a turgid opening that contained too much long-ball hit and hope from both sides but then three minutes later Johnson, after Kranjcar broke clear on the left following a rare spell of Bolton supremacy, and squared a ball into middle, hit the stunning shot which the keeper somehow kept out at full stretch.
Then, after Johan Elmander broke through at the other and forced a smothering save from David James, Johnson thought his moment had come again when Kranjcar's delightful touch set him up for a thumping effort which Jaaskelainen, 34 tomorrow, turned on to a post for an even better stop.
The Trotters had kept only one clean sheet in their previous 19 league games but as the chances came and went in the second half this looked like being another - until that mind-boggling last 15 minutes.
Bolton's desperation showed after they lost the injured Ricardo Gardner after just 11 minutes in bookings for skipper Kevin Davies and former Pompey defender Andy O'Brien while Kranjcar was also shown a yellow card for a needless shove.
But it was the home side who needed the points most, just four points above the relegation trapdoor and with Manchester United to face at Old Trafford next Wednesday.
Bolton were totally lacking ambition despite seven goals in the previous two games and even had Nicky Hunt booked from the bench after he encroached on the field to speak to a team-mate during a break in play.
Pompey are now 14th, six points above the drop zone and level on points with 13th-placed Bolton.
