David Moyes admits Sunderland's situation is "desperate" after a 2-0 defeat by Leicester left them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.
Goals by Islam Slimani and Jamie Vardy mean Sunderland are eight points off Swansea with eight games remaining, and Moyes' side are without a goal in six games.
Moyes, who insists their Premier League future remains in their own hands, had to admit after the game that their situation is bleak.
Moyes told Sky Sports: "It's desperate now. I felt that we had to win one of these two games away from home. I think the boys have given a good go at it.
"There's no faulting them, they've done everything they can, we've just been lacking that bit of quality, or bit of defending when we needed it.
"They've been here before, we'll keep going again, and it's still within our hands to stay up. And we'll try and make sure that we do that."
Sunderland earlier expressed their support for manager Moyes but called his comments to a female reporter "wholly unacceptable".
Moyes has expressed his regret and apologised to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks after saying "you might get a slap, even though you're a woman" following their Premier League game with Burnley.
Moyes said after the game: "I'm grateful for the club's support, and as far as I'm concerned the matter is finished."
Moyes' side fell behind to Slimani's opener on 69 minutes, though Sunderland appealed for a nudge from the striker on Lamine Kone.
The manager, however, reserved his criticism for his own player's defending.
"An easy cross comes into the box, and I think we should be heading it out, and it's the smaller mistakes like that that have cost us, it's not always the big things. We have to go chase it, and then lose a second goal soon afterwards.
"There was a bit of a nudge on Kone, but I still would hope we'd have been stronger and headed that away. Maybe on another day we'd have got something, but we didn't get it today."
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