Scott Parker insisted he was proud of Fulham’s fight despite a 2-0 defeat in the local derby against Chelsea, which leaves them on the brink of relegation from the Premier League.

The Fulham boss remained defiant afterwards – insisting he wasn’t giving up on a remarkable escape act – but praised his players for their spirited display at Stamford Bridge.

“We’ll try and win four games now, that’s the aim,” Parker told his post-match press conference. “I’m proud of the performance, the courage we’ve shown against a top side. We knew the challenge. Over the last few weeks, we fell a little bit short, maybe it’s the pressure.

“I thought we were back to where we needed to be to try and win games in this division, but there’s no denying, in certain moments we lacked in certain areas. I do believe we can win games with that performance. Chelsea conceded one shot on target against a Real Madrid team, they have an abundance of quality. There is no other option, it’ll start on Monday night, we’ll go and try and win a game against Burnley. That’s our main focus.

“We faced a lot of challenges last year with this group and got promoted. I asked the team to focus on today, and give their best, and until the curtain comes down, that will always be the case.”

Parker was pleased with the performance of young midfielder Fabio Carvalho, who was rewarded for a fine season with Fulham’s under 23s by being handed his senior debut off the bench.

“Fabio came off the bench, he’s been nothing short of brilliant in training. The last 10 days, he really went about it and that’s the reason he came on. He settled in, but like all young players, he was probably on the fringes of things, but I felt he could bring something – score us a goal, bring a little bit of magic. I make decisions that I feel is best for the dynamic of the team.”