Harry Redknapp watched his Pompey side suffer their first Premiership defeat and insisted: "Some people need to get in the real world."

Pompey welcomed Blackburn to Fratton Park a week after their 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Higbury had extended their unbeaten start to five games.

But two goals in eight first half minutes from Lucas Neill and Andy Cole brought the home crowd back to a earth with a jolt.

Redknapp said: "We are Portsmouth and will lose plenty of games, yet we get off to a good start and suddenly people think we are going to challenge for the Champions League.

"I don't know what they expect of us, they need to get in the real world."

Neill stabbed home a soft goal from close range after poor communication in a Pompey defence that looked disorganised for the first time this season.

It was no more than Blackburn deserved. Turkey midfielder Tugay had earlier thundered a 30-yard strike that Shaka Hislop turned behind during the Lancashire club's most dominant spell of the match.

And it was no surprise when Cole scored his fifth goal of the season, leaving Arjan De Zeeuw red-faced after a smart turn and cross shot that was too good for Hislop.

De Zeeuw made amends with his second Pompey goal after the break, heading home a Steve Stone corner after capitalising on slack marking.

It was enough to win the Dutchman the sponsors' man-of-the-match award but he turned down the bottle of champagne, insisting that he had a stinker.

He was not the only one to have an off day. The patently unfit Tim Sherwood had put Teddy Sheringham though in first half injury time only for the former England striker to mis-hit with his left foot.

But Pompey dominated without really testing Brad Friedel in the second half.

"At half-time I told the players that they could either feel sorry for themselves or give it a go and that's what they did," added Redknapp.

"We were slow getting started and the first goal was an awful one to concede, but I thought we battered them for 45 minutes and if we keep playing like we did in the second half, we'll stay up.

"Blackburn are a top six side but we slaughtered them after the break.

"You couldn't see a team play with more enthusiasm, we had 85 per cent of the play in the second half."

Pompey certainly had the bulk of possession after half-time, and with Jason Roberts on for the ineffective Tim Sherwood, they were playing with three strikers.

Roberts failed to make contact with a Boris Zivkovic cross and De Zeeuw volleyed over the bar midway through the second half.

But for all Pompey's huff and puff it was Blackburn who came closest to scoring when Brett Emerton rifled a 20-yard strike against Hislop's crossbar with 20 minutes left.

Patrik Berger was badly missed. It was a a surprise that Redknapp had not opted to play Alexei Smertin in preference to Sherwood, who was playing against his former club, but Berger's absence was the first sign that Pompey's thin squad is likely to count against them this season.

"We haven't got anyone to play on the left, even my left-back is a right-back," sighed Redknapp. "Nigel Quashie did his best but it unbalanced us a little bit."

Blackburn boss Graeme Souness said: "The second half belonged to them. We knew they would come after us but I didn't expect us to be on the back foot as much as we were."

Meanwhile, Redknapp will name a weakened team for the Carling Cup clash against Northampton Town at Fratton Park tomorrow night.

"If we get to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup but get relegated no one will give a monkey's, the Premiership is what matters," he added.