Swansea City boss Garry Monk praised his players after they succumbed to a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Manchester City that ends their hopes of reaching the Europa League.
After finding themselves 2-0 down after goals from Yaya Toure and James Milner, Swansea battled back with fine goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bafetimbi Gomis.
However, Toure then added his second of the game and, after Joe Hart's heroics prevented a Swansea equaliser, City substitute Wilfried Bony netted in injury time on his return to the Liberty Stadium.
"I'm disappointed to lose the game, but extremely proud of my team for the character and persistence we showed again," Monk said.
"We tried to push and had our moments in the game. We could have managed periods when they were on top better, but we were playing against an excellent side.
"We went toe-to-toe with them. We showed that we could do that and were unlucky. Hart made a few world-class saves. Had they have gone in, we would have got something from the game.
"We pushed to the very end and had some great chances, but they were clinical.
"As I said, I'm disappointed to lose the game, but no player deserves criticism today. The effort, commitment and quality they showed today could have got us a result, but I'm very proud of the players, the staff and the fans. Everyone has been excellent this season.
"It shows what a strong group we have and how we are growing. Our mentality is strong, we don't fold."