Alex Neil conceded it is a tough ask for Norwich City to avoid Premier League relegation following Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United.
Norwich created little in the contest at Carrow Road and paid the price in the 72nd minute as Sebastien Bassong failed to clear a long ball, allowing Wayne Rooney to set up Juan Mata for the winner.
The result left Norwich needing results elsewhere to go their way in order to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
A seemingly resigned Neil told BT Sport: "I think to be honest it's been the story of the season. There wasn't many opportunities in the game.
"I thought our shape was good, [but] when you gift goals and make errors, it's never going to be enough.
"Commitment isn't enough now, ultimately it's about not making stupid errors. It looks a lot more difficult. We've now got to rely on them [Newcastle United and Sunderland] losing games.
"It's a sad state of affairs. We've got to keep fighting. It's a bit late in the day now."
