Frustrated Linfield boss David Healy played down Aaron McCarey's late heroics for Glentoran and insisted his players needed to be more clinical in front of goal.
McCarey produced a superb save to deny Sam Roscoe in injury time as the Glens held out for a massive derby win.
The 1-0 success, thanks to Conor McMenamin's goal, eases the East Belfast side three points clear at the top of the Irish Premiership.
McCarey clawed Roscoe's goal-bound header away from goal, with Glentoran then scrambling the ball off the line to preserve their lead at the Oval.
And while fans purred over the shot-stopper's late intervention, Healy turned the scrutiny on his own players' lack of killer instinct.
He told the club's website: "I keep hearing about good saves from the goalkeeper, and good blocks. But I am thinking, 'no'.
"The players are saying it in there. As a group of players and a team we need to be more clinical and ruthless. Whether it is centre forwards, wide players or centre halves.
"We need to be more clinical, and tonight the two or three chances that came our way we weren't clinical enough."
Healy added: "It was a disappointing result.
"I thought we were good value for at least a point. I don't think there was too much in the game.
"We created our own problems for the goal which was soft. Which is obviously disappointing. We had two or three decent chances at the end which we couldn't capitalise on.
"So, emotionally straight away after the game, disappointing."
Healy was left to rue the couple of chances that came Linfield's way, including Roscoe's 91st-minute header which could have salvaged a point on Mersey Street.
But he insists Linfield's title ambitions are still firmly alive and kicking with 11 games remaining this season.
"You rue the chances we didn't capitalise on," Healy added.
"As disappointed as the players we are, they are upbeat and positive and we still believe we can be champions. There are a lot of games to play and we still have to play Glentoran at Windsor.
"We have to look after our own business and see what happens."
He added: "I said before tonight's game that I don't think the result will have any effect (on the title race), win, lose or draw.
"It would have been nice getting a result, and I think we were good value for something. But we found a way not to get."
