Danny Cowley was left cursing the fine margins that cost Pompey their unbeaten league record at Ipswich.
His side had twice fought from behind to level the Portman Road contest, with Colby Bishop bagging a brace of penalties.
The first one cancelled out an effort from Marcus Harness against his former club, while the second one was a reply to Freddie Ladapo’s effort.
But Kyle Edwards’ cross took a wicked deflected to allow Wes Burns to nod home a winner for the Tractor Boys.
And Cowley was left frustrated that Pompey were ultimately unable to claim any points against the promotion favourites.
The Blues boss said: “The overriding emotion is disappointment because when you score twice on the road, you expect to come away with something.
“It was a very competitive game, but probably one that lacked a bit of rhythm and flow. It was a case of two teams over-competing.
“We had control and were in a good place after getting it back to 1-1 and then they score a second goal from nowhere.
“You have to credit Ipswich and only have to look across at their bench to see the strength in depth they have.
“Their subs were able to have a big influence, but our group don’t know when they’re beaten and have a never-say-die attitude.
"We have to take the suffering on this occasion and congratulate Ipswich before dusting ourselves down and going again."
“We found an equaliser and had the momentum then, but football sometimes is all about small margins.
“We got the block and it flicks up off Connor Ogilvie’s shin, loops over Josh Griffiths and ends up in the net.
“So we have to take the suffering on this occasion and congratulate Ipswich before dusting ourselves down and going again.”
A large crowd helped Ipswich claim the points, with home fans refusing to return the ball when it went out of play late in the game.
Cowley said: “For almost 30,000 people to be there to watch a third tier game is something you don’t see anywhere else in the world.
“We found it hard to get the ball onto the pitch at times towards the end! Overall, though, it was a great advert for the English football pyramid.”
Pompey had to do without the injured duo of defender Joe Rafferty and midfielder Tom Lowery in Suffolk.
Cowley said: “Joe had an operation because he was suffering with what’s called a sportsman’s hernia. There’s a weakness in the stomach wall.
“The good news is that he should be back in 3-4 weeks. It’s not ideal to play a left-back on the right, but Connor’s done really well.
“Tom picked up a hamstring injury against Plymouth and is still in that rehabilitation phase, but it’s not a serious issue.”