Hull City manager Marco Silva was magnanimous in defeat after watching his side dominated by Manchester City, admitting that their opponents deserved their eventual 3-1 victory.
An own goal in the first half from Ahmed Elmohamady set the tone for much of Hull's play throughout the game, with Andrea Ranocchia's consolation goal inside the final five minutes coming from their first shot on target.
However, Silva is optimistic that his side can turn around their poor away form in the final weeks of the season with more forgiving fixtures to come.
'We looked tired' - Silva
"Manchester City deserved to win," Silva stated. "Once we conceded the first goal - a really unlucky goal - we reacted well and had a very good chance but we didn't score, and they controlled the rest of the game.
"We tried to change something at half time to press a bit more tightly, but they scored early in the second half and it started to feel like the game was finished. That moment was the key to the game.
"We tried to change again with the strikers, but Manchester City controlled the game. At times our team was a little bit tired, we've put in a lot of effort in the last two games."
Silva backs Tigers to improve away form
"Our home form so far is amazing," he continued. "But we need to change something away. Our last six, seven games have been against top teams but now there are good games for us to change our situation away from home."
With only six games of their season remaining, the Tigers must still travel to Stoke City, Southampton and Crystal Palace, while they remain two points clear of Swansea City and the bottom three.
Silva will be looking forward to home fixtures against Watford and Sunderland as opportunities to pick up some more crucial points in the battle to avoid the drop, though he refused to confirm whether he would be remaining at the club beyond the end of his contract at the end of this campaign.