'Should never end 4-1, not in a million years': Cambridge boss sees different game to scoreline after second-half Portsmouth mauling

Bonner believes the margin of Pompey’s victory didn’t reflect the events of the game, as his men took a first-half lead before being pegged back in stoppage time and conceding three after the break.

He acknowledged simple mistakes proved costly for his men, however.

Bonner told Cambridge’s official site: ‘For a large part of that game, that should never end 4-1, not in a million years.

‘In the main, I thought there were so many good parts to our game against a really good side, but it ends up being a horrible scoreline.

‘You look at the statistics of the game, and it shouldn’t end like that. We have to make sure that we don’t get kidded on by the scoreline, because there was actually quite a lot of good stuff in our game tonight.

‘It’s easy to say that, and people will think you’re mad because the defeat and the scoreline looks like it does, but I know what I’m talking about and I know we’re a good side, and that wasn’t far away from very good, but it wasn’t for long enough.

‘In the end, really basic errors have cost us the game.’

Bonner noted how Pompey had produced very little of note before they late flurry in first-half stoppage time, which led to Colby Bishop’s leveller.

He reckons his team fell then fell into traps set by Pompey which led to falling behind after the break.

Bonner added: ‘I thought up until the 60th minute, we were great.

‘The goal just before half-time, of course we should go in 1-0 up, and just before the goal is the first save Dimi (Mitov) has to make.

‘It’s the first shot they’ve had, so we’ve controlled the first half brilliantly. Not always with the ball, but we had the best chances, we scored the goal, had a couple of good counter-attacks and perhaps could’ve been a little more clinical, but we should go in 1-0 up.

‘That could really rock us actually at half-time, but it didn’t, I thought we came out second half and were very good. We had two good chances with a breakaway with Shilow (Tracey), Liam (O’Neil) has a shot from the edge of the box, the goalie spills it and it almost crosses the line.

‘Then we gift them one on 60 minutes really, and from that point the game ran away from us because we didn’t stay in it in that first little period.

‘I think we forced the game too much when they were on top, and played into their press, and I think the second and third goals are so preventable. At that point, that’s the game done.

‘The fourth goal is also a really poor one for us, a free header at the back post. They’ve scored I think four from crosses tonight.

‘It’s something we knew we were going to have to defend, and we didn’t do that well enough, so when you give good players a chance and give them a leg up in this league, they’re going to take it, and that’s what it was.’