Skipper Gareth Evans believes plucky Portsmouth can take heart from Arsenal FA Cup showing

The Blues gave the Gunners a stiff first-half test of their credentials before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at Fratton Park.

Evans wore the captain’s armband on the occasion and felt his team could reflect well on their performance.

He said: ‘I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed every minute of it.

‘It was a really enjoyable evening even though the result didn’t go our way.

‘It was hard and that was to be expected, but the main aim was to give a good account of ourselves - and I think we did that.’