A very disappointed Portmore United forward, Carlington Smith, sits on the bench following his team's goalless draw with Harbour View, in the Digicel Premier League football match at Harbour View Mini Stadium on Sunday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

COACH Linval Dixon appeared to take Portmore United's loss of the Digicel Premier League title in stride, but must have been seething inside after his team played to a 0-0 draw with Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens won 1-0 at home to be crowned champions on goal difference.

Tivoli Gardens, who entered the final round eight points behind Portmore and were still eight adrift after the first match of the five-game final round, beat Arnett Gardens 1-0 in Sunday's last match to tie Portmore on 72 points.

Oraine Simpson's penalty handed Tivoli their lone goal.

They had started the day on 69 points, two points behind the defending champions, but tied with a 23 goal difference.

Dixon said it was a disappointing to bow out on goal difference.

"It was a hard-fought game and it's definitely disappointing to lose the title this way. But that's the beauty of the Premier League. You have to win games when you get the chance and today we lost out," he said after watching his team having to fend off relentless attacks from third-place Harbour View for most of the game.

Harbour View entered the final day of the league with a better goal difference than both Portmore and Tivoli, needing a win to tie the leaders on 71 points while hoping Tivoli would have lost at home.

Portmore woeful in attack

Portmore United's Steven Morrissey (right) and Harbour View's Richard Edwards, during the Digicel Premier League match at Harbour View Mini Stadium on Sunday. The game ended 0-0. Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Harbour View got two chances before Simpson scored at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex and also blew subsequent efforts to put away Portmore, who were woeful in attack.

Rafeik Thomas got a gift in the 74th minute, one-on-one with goalie Dwayne Kerr, but kicked straight at the Portmore keeper from 16 yards.

Earlier, Jomo Gordon met Jermaine Hue's 24th-minute free kick from the left side of midfield at the back post, but headed across goal with Kerr drawn by the flight of the ball to be badly out of position.

Marcellino Blackburn got a golden chance two minutes later but his powerful goalmouth header off Hue's cross from the left side of the 18-yard box went straight at Kerr standing on his line, forcing the big keeper to parry for a corner.

Not even news of Tivoli going ahead after 30 minutes was enough to lift Portmore, who started with two central midfielders, Damion Williams and Michael Binns, playing as if they were central defenders, providing no attacking passes to forwards Steven Morrissey and Carlington Smith.

Adding to Portmore's woes, midfielders Eric Vernan on the right and Bryan Bayliss on the left were playing too wide, not cutting inside to cause any problems for Harbour View's defence.

Dixon defended his central midfielders.

"From the start of the season, that's how we have been playing," he said. "Today, we tried to keep the midfield tight and to go forward but it didn't work."

Portmore's desperation was made even more evident in the 57th minute when an obviously overweight and sluggish Kevin Deerr was called to replace Damion Williams, a move which hardly bothered Harbour View.