Distin: We were beaten by a better team
Sylvain Distin insisted Pompey gave their all in their Manchester United test but admitted: We were beaten by the better team.
The influential Blues defender turned in an assured display at the heart of the defence alongside Sol Campbell as the reigning European champions unleashed the full artillery on Pompey after resting their stars at the weekend.
But while the Frenchman was an integral part of Pompey's fabulous FA Cup quarter-final success on their last visit to Old Trafford, there was to be no fairytale this time as goals from Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick condemned the Blues to only the second defeat of Paul Hart's nine-match reign.
Distin said: 'Sometimes the opposition are better than you and that was the case this time.
'There's nothing to say – they are a great team.
'We did our best, I think we didn't give up until the end and it just didn't work for us.'
Manchester United's recent patchy form has seen question marks raised over their chances of successfully defending their Premier League crown.
And after their weekend FA Cup semi-final defeat on penalties to Everton, their confidence could have been brittle.
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But they showed no sign of nerves with a menacing first-half display that threatened to blow the Blues away after Rooney's ninth-minute opener as Ryan Giggs, Anderson and John O'Shea all went close to increasing the advantage.
Pompey edged themselves back into contention after the interval as they enjoyed more possession and unsettled the home supporters.
But Edwin Van der Sar was not pressed into any serious action throughout the 90 minutes.
And Distin admitted Pompey had not been able to test United for any defensive weaknesses.
He said: 'We had a chance – maybe on set pieces or something like that.
'It was a possibility to score and especially because they've conceded few goals, so we thought one goal would change the game. But we didn't score the goals.'
Despite the setback, Distin has now switched his attentions to a crucial clash at Newcastle United on Monday.
And the former Manchester City centre-back thought the togetherness within the camp would see them perform at the relegation-threatened Magpies after an encouraging display against Sir Alex Ferguson's side last night.
Distin said: 'The most important thing is always the three points.
'We didn't get them, but apart from that, we stuck together and we tried to compete all together.
'Now we must do it again against Newcastle.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 15 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
