‘Don’t deserve to win it’ - Cambridge boss Mark Bonner delivers brutal Portsmouth verdict after defeat

And was adamant his side should’ve been awarded a second half penalty for handball on Ryley Towler.

Despite having 17 shots to the Blues’ four, the U’s fell to a 1-0 defeat to John Mouisnho’s men as Colby Bishop’s 65th-minute header was the difference at the Abbey Stadium.

Indeed, Pompey dealt a significant blow to Cambridge’s survival hopes, with the loss leaving Bonner’s side 23rd in the table and five points from safety.

Although his men controlled proceedings for the large part of the contest - the Blues were able to hold on to the three points as their impressive run continues under the new head coach.

But for the U’s, Bonner believed the better team lost and rued missed opportunities throughout the afternoon.

‘We had some brilliant periods of play,’ he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

‘We had 17 attempts to their five, our XG is 1.8 to their 0.6, we have a penalty that doesn’t get given second half. Statistically the win probability for us is 98 per cent.

‘They put the ball in the net but that’s a winning performance for us.

‘That’s a really good level on the days when you don’t score this year, that’s happened too often for us this year, if you are not a creative team and you do create chances they’re the most frustrating ones.

‘There are so many moments in there when we can get ahead, where we can win that game.

‘They’ll be delighted to get on the bus because they (Portsmouth) don’t deserve to win it.

‘Dimi (Dimitar Mitov) had nothing to do all afternoon, they had one spell and they scored the goal and that’s a big signal of where we are.

‘That’s the level that will give you the best chance of getting results. I won’t take an ounce of criticism for that performance. I thought we were brilliant and played really well.’

One of the biggest talking points of the afternoon saw referee Andrew Kitchen wave away appeals for a handball in the box against Towler in the second half.

And that was a decision which infuriated Bonner, who insisted the decision was impacted by their league position.

He added: ‘It’s a penalty second half, it’s handball. You get given that when you’re in a better position than we are.

‘In another time when things are going your way you get a bit of a chance. It is a penalty, he handballs it.

‘His arms are right in the air, he doesn’t mean it but it’s handball, it stops the ball from bouncing back to us.’