Alan Pardew refused to criticise his Crystal Palace team after they slipped to their eighth home defeat of the season, losing 2-0 against West Brom.
The result - which broke a run of four straight wins - was sealed by goals from James Morrison and Craig Gardner but Pardew could not fault his team's efforts.
He said: "We worked hard enough, we just couldn't find that moment or that goal. In the previous four games we've find them at the right times.
"It's very difficult to win five Premier League games. Today we've come up short. I think our fans are terrific. In terms of the understanding of what Tony Pulis did last year, they respected that.
"It was a good day for West Brom, but we won't go away from what we do. When you get beat 2-0, you can say 'nothing worked'. Some times new ideas come off, sometimes they don't. I couldn't fault my team. We tried everything we could today, but couldn't find a way through."
Palace saw shouts for a first-half penalty ignored by referee Jon Moss when Wilfried Zaha was knocked over by Gardner and Pardew felt the official made the wrong call.
He added: "I think we should have had a penalty in the first half. Gardner runs at Wilf without even looking at the ball. I think in terms of my team, they tried to find a way through. It's difficult when you concede to West Brom, they pack the defence."