Defeat at Peterborough sent Pompey tumbling three places to sixth in the League One standings.
But it certainly did not deliver a terminal blow to the Blues’ bid to secure promotion to the Championship.
Their rivals for a place in the second tier were deserving of their 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from Dan Butler and Ivan Toney.
It is still tightly packed at the top of the table, however, with Pompey just three points outside the top two.
And with three successive Fratton fixtures coming up, Ryan Williams is still in a positive frame of mind.
The winger said: “I don’t think the sides were miles apart, but they created more chances and defended a little bit better.
“It was a case of almost being there and the ball wouldn’t fall for us or we just couldn’t find that crucial pass.
"It’s really tight, but we’re still in a good position and have three games in a row at home now."
“We kept going and it certainly wasn’t a lack of effort, while they were able to stick a couple away.
“Ivan Toney has scored a lot of goals this season and it was another great performance from him – he was their biggest threat by far.
“We need to be doing a little bit better on the road if we want to get one of those top two positions in the league.
“It’s really tight, but we’re still in a good position and have three games in a row at home now, with all the boys loving it at Fratton Park.
“We need to start creating more – everyone’s aware of that and we’ll keep trying our best to get some good results.”
Ronan Curtis was booked after the final whistle for dissent and was one of six Pompey players shown a yellow card.
Williams said: “Everyone’s passionate and wants to win, so they’re frustrated when we don’t – at least it shows that we care. Ronan wears his heart on his sleeve.”