Pompey, for whom a win on the last day of the season would have seen them into Europe, thought they'd scored the decisive goal 15 minutes from time through Nico Krancjar, the Croatia midfielder netting after Lomana LuaLua and Richard Hughes had been thwarted by the south coast club's former goalkeeper Mart Poom.

Poll, in what could be his final match as a senior referee before retirement, appeared to have let the goal stand.

But the 43-year-old English official, whose international career ended in embarrassment when he showed the yellow card three times to Croatia's Josip Simunic during a World Cup match against Australia in Germany last year, consulted a linesman after Arsenal protests and ruled the goal offside.

"It was a goal," said a furious Redknapp. "When the linesman did not put his flag up I thought there was no way he could not give it.

"But then he went over to him and gave it offside. He thought it had come off Hughes but it came off (Philippe) Senderos so it could not have been offside.

"I have told Graham what I think but what can he do, we all make mistakes.

"He has robbed us of the chance (to play in Europe) for the first time in the club's history," he added after Pompey were left two points behind Bolton, who claimed the third and final UEFA Cup place on offer to English clubs.

But Pompey, who won back-to-back English titles in 1948/49 and 1949/50, had the consolation of finishing the season in ninth place, their best finish for more than 50 years.

A key factor in their success this season has been the form of former England goalkeeper David James.

And he showed his class once more by saving Julio Baptista's first-half penalty as Arsenal missed out on the chance to pip Liverpool for third place, ending level on points with the Anfield club but fourth on goal difference.

Sunday's match threatened to be Brazilian Baptista's last for the Londoners, with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealing the club are struggling to tie up a permanent deal for the striker, nicknamed 'the Beast'.

Baptista was signed on a season-long loan from Real Madrid before the current campaign started with Jose Antonio Reyes heading in the opposite direction on the understanding a swap deal would become permanent.

However, with Real close to winning their first La Liga title in four years, any negotiations regarding the two players have stalled and Wenger is still in limbo over Baptista's future.

"At the moment Madrid are still fighting for the championship and it is hard to organise a meeting.

"We have not been officially informed about what they want to do with Reyes and we have not officially informed them about Baptista," the Frenchman added.

"Baptista has been an asset for us all season and has grown into English football but unless we can sort out a deal this could be his last game in an Arsenal shirt. "