Rodney McAree was left to bemoan Glentoran's first half showing at Solitude as they slipped to a first defeat under his stewardship.
A double from teenage sensation Sean Moore gave Cliftonville a two-goal advantage at the break.
And although things improved for the Glens in the second half as Terry Devlin reduced the arrears McAree admitted they had left themselves too much to do.
Read more: Irish Premiership recap as Reds and Blues earn big wins in title race
"When you play against the big clubs and the tough games, you can't give yourself a mountain to climb and ultimately we did that,".
"We tried to regroup at half-time and challenge ourselves to win the second-half.
"I thought we won the second-half comfortably enough and we had a few little half chances and lots of the ball, but we didn't work Nathan Gartside enough.
"In terms of intensity, tempo and belief, we showed much more in the second-half than we did in the first.
"I wasn't happy with how we played in the first-half but we weren't far away as we hit the post, Niall McGinn was denied in an one-on-one position, and Shay McCartan sliced wide when in the six-yard box.
"We weren't too far away but two lapses in concentration in terms of being close to an attacking player to stop a shot has cost us massively.
"We did everything in our power to try and get something out of the game, but unfortunately, it hasn't happened for us."
READ NEXT:
- Paul McElroy outlines key milestone after hat-trick heroics
Tiernan Lynch plays down title race as he hails 'special group of players'
West Belfast footballer helping others struggling with gambling addiction
Linfield captain Mulgrew spells out simple truth facing title-chasing Blues
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
