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.
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."
