Scott Parker was "proud" of Fulham's display after they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in his first match in charge.
Parker was appointed caretaker manager in midweek after Claudio Ranieri was sacked.
Although he didn't start with a win, former Fulham and Chelsea midfielder Parker was pleased with the improvement from his side in the second half.
He told Sky Sports: "In the first half we turned the ball over too quickly and weren't bright enough in possession. Second half we were brave on the ball. That's risky at times but for me it's the only way this team can play.
"I was very proud of the lads today. It's been a big few days and a massive season with a lot of disappointment. My message at the start of the game was that I want the fans to look at us with pride and I got a feeling they did that and that's what makes me happy.
"You can win and lose against quality teams but you want to come off the pitch knowing you put in all you can and we did that today."
The defeat leaves Fulham facing relegation from the Premier League. They are 10 points from safety with only nine matches of the season left to play.
"We took them close," said Parker. "The first half we huffed and puffed but didn't get the control of the game that I would have liked.
"We have worked on the last few days on trying to stamp our way on Chelsea, but felt that in possession we could given ourselves a platform to work around the pitch and first half we didn't do that as well as we should. Second half it changed around and was better."