Portsmouth 2-1 Plymouth

Jan 27 2008

PLYMOUTH boss Paul Sturrock was proud of his team but cursed their luck after they exited the FA Cup at Fratton Park in a game they dominated for long spells.

Chris Clark opened the scoring for the Championship side in five minutes but goals before the break from Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar eased Harry Redknapp's team through.

The hosts had a late scare when Silvain Distin appeared to handle in the box. However, the referee saw nothing amiss and awarded Plymouth a corner instead of the penalty they felt they were due.

Sturrock said: "We lost to two zany goals - a deflection and a melee in the box - and lady luck did not shine on us.

"But I'm proud of my players.

They showed plenty of quality."

Pompey assistant boss Tony Adams said: "We were rattled but fought back well."