Nathan Jones admitted his side were punished for costly mistakes as Charlton fell to a 3-0 defeat against Championship leaders Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.
The Addicks matched the hosts for long periods at the Riverside Stadium but found themselves two goals behind at the break before Will Lankshear netted his second and the team's third eight minutes from time.
Reflecting on the result, Jones felt his side remained in the contest but were ultimately undone by defensive errors and good finishing.
"We were in it," he said. "We gave away really poor goals, really, really poor goals. If you give away poor goals, you've got no chance of winning the game.
"That's what we're doing at the minute. We've been really hard to beat, really disciplined and aggressive, but we're a different version of that now. We've tried to evolve, tried to get better players and become more technical, but we've lost what we do and we have to get back to that quickly."
Sebastien Berhalter opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Lankshear struck just before half-time and again late on to seal the points for the hosts.
Jones added: "I think they're really poor goals. The first goal is in the middle of the goal. The second goal, you can't let runners go and expect to keep clean sheets.
"The third one, we've slipped over and he's put it in the top corner. They've demonstrated quality, but we've been nowhere near the levels that we need to be.
"That's the really frustrating thing because of what we work on and what we demand. We're not in a good moment and the players need a bit of help at the minute."
Despite trailing by two goals at the interval, the Addicks looked to force their way back into the contest during an open second half, with Jones introducing attacking changes in a bid to swing the momentum.
"We always make positive substitutions," he explained. "We very rarely sit back and try to contain.
"We picked an aggressive team. We knew we weren't going to compete with them possession-wise, but we felt we could compete with them in the moments and we picked a front-footed team. We just didn't demonstrate that on the day and that was the difference."
The manager also welcomed the return of Nathaniel Chalobah, who made his first appearance following injury.
"We've missed him," said Jones. "We've missed his control and what he brings, but he's been out for a period of time so we have to manage him carefully."
Attention now turns to Tuesday night's home clash with Bolton Wanderers, and Jones was clear in his message ahead of a big week at The Valley.
He said: "It's about purely getting a result this week. We'll see who we believe can get a result for us and we'll go from there."
Jones also took time to thank the travelling Charlton supporters, who made the long trip to Teesside.
"They were magnificent," he said. "They sang all game and I heard them all.
"They're going through a tough time at the minute like we are and I understand any frustration they show. They're wonderful supporters. We need to give them a performance because at the minute we're not giving them a proper performance, especially away from home.
"I thank them. Tuesday will be better, I guarantee you that."
Charlton host Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday, November 3rd (KO 7.45pm GMT) at The Valley with adult tickets starting from £20. Click here to get yours now!
