Lacklustre United cheaply beaten

Portsmouth - 1 Man Utd - 0 Nothing was going to spoil Portsmouth's day as the rafters of their ramshackle home reverberated to the acclaim for a famous victory and, almost certainly, Premiership safety. Alex Ferguson was generous, even proclaiming "100 per cent respect" for Neale Barry despite the referee's denial of a Manchester United penalty.

That was the public, smiling face of United's manager. Privately he must have been seething. No, he insisted, the FA Cup final was not distracting his players - "nothing like that; every game is important". But United mocked that claim, making so many errors that countless eyes were seemingly off the ball.

Ferguson was justified in hinting that the contest had resembled a cup tie, compounded by Portsmouth's desperation, a "lively pitch and the wind", in which his players "got frustrated". What he did not say was that in the first half-hour United should have devoured a team whose tactics invited heavy punishment.

Harry Redknapp, as he does, dug himself out of a hole, greatly assisted by a goal after 36 minutes which even the most optimistic manager could not have seen coming. Three United defenders, among them the hapless Wes Brown, were at fault as Steve Stone, aided by Aiyegbeni Yakubu's bulky presence, converted a cross delivered by Lomana LuaLua. It was Portsmouth's first genuine attack.

Redknapp did not look this gift horse in the mouth. He sacrificed his most creative player, Eyal Berkovic, and switched to an orthodox four-man midfield. Portsmouth then held what they had and, in the final seconds, almost added a second as Yakubu shot against Roy Carroll's legs from the best chance of the game.

But, more than anything, this game reaffirmed the adage that players rather than tactics win matches. It was not only a question of hunger, an attribute demonstrated by the 32-year-old Stone. In central defence the elegant Dejan Stefanovic was as sure-footed as Brown was erratic, and the 34-year-old Arjan de Zeeuw again led by brave example.

It is United who are badly missing injured players now, rather than Redknapp's "down-to-the-bare-bones" team. Yet even the commitment of Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy might not have bailed their side out here, such was the half-heartedness of so many United players.

It is not a coincidence that a virtually clean bill of health, after an injury-ravaged mid-season, has accompanied renewed confidence in Portsmouth's surge towards safety. "We've taken 13 points out of 15 under pressure and that's a terrific achievement," said Redknapp. "If we had started playing like that a month earlier we could have been in Europe."

Redknapp also traded financial comparisons, and not only with United. "Who'd have thought Manchester City would be down there? They've spent £50 million to £60 million. My squad is about £5 million, the lot. Today there were about four players out there who cost anything."

One of them, Aiyegbeni Yakubu, he had gambled on after Ferguson told him: "If you can, go out and get him - he's a handful."

United have spent about £35 million since last summer. Portsmouth's squad cost less than half the fee for Cristiano Ronaldo, a substitute here. Redknapp knows he will have another small transfer budget this summer, but it will not make him downhearted. "There'll be plenty of good players around, won't there?"

Redknapp transmits nervous energy but not fear. "We're pretty laid back," he said, "and I think that's been the key. We take the pressure off the players. Leeds next week will be a big game but we're in good shape now."

And enjoying a little bit of luck. After shots by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis Saha had somehow been blocked, Gary Neville's overhead kick was diverted by Matthew Taylor's upraised arm. In injury-time Ronaldo's free-kick beat Shaka Hislop only to curl just past the far post.