Scott Parker admitted he was "gutted" for his Fulham players after they fell to a 2-1 defeat by Premier League leaders Liverpool on Super Sunday.
After Ryan Babel had cancelled out Sadio Mane's equaliser at Craven Cottage, Sergio Rico's late foul on Sadio Mane allowed Liverpool to grab a win via a James Milner penalty, meaning Fulham sit 19th following seven straight defeats.
Their chances of survival are slim with seven games remaining, sitting 13 points from safety, and caretaker manager Parker could not hide his disappointment after a hard-fought second half.
Asked if Fulham had thrown the game away, Parker told Sky Sports: "Yeah probably. Gutted, disappointed, mainly for the players really. I said before the day how hard everyone has been working this week.
"Even as slow as we were in the first half in the attacking third, I saw things which were part of what we want, and then certainly second half."
Parker was easy on his goalkeeper Rico for the late penalty, which came after the goalkeeper had spilled a simple Mo Salah shot before grabbing at Mane.
"You see it every week, when a player makes a mistake, his first action is to try and put it right, and nine times out of 10 the first thing they do when they've made a mistake is take out everyone in front of them because they want to make amends.
"Sergio has pulled off some great saves today but he's obviously made a little error there."
Parker's job interview for the full-time managerial position has consisted of three straight defeats so far, but the former Fulham midfielder is confident the club are moving in the right direction.
"This is a process, it's something that will take time, but I see some evidence to suggest we're moving in the right direction.
"Listen, I said it two weeks ago, I said it after the last games, my message is the same, and to the players, this group have quality. What we have lacked at times this year is fight. I'm extremely proud of what they've done today. I'm proud of everyone, staff and players.
"If there's one thing I'm not it's a kidder. It's there in black and white for us all to see [the Premier League table].
"We know the mountain is bigger, we understand the challenge ahead of us, seven games left, if we can have that spirit we had today, and at times that play we had which I know will only improve, certainly I know us as a team and as a football club will be in a better place."