Nigel Clough says Burton Albion heads are dropping when the first goal goes against them after Brentford inflicted a 12th defeat from 14 home games on the Brewers.
A game of few chances for the opening hour saw the Bees go ahead through Kyle McFadzean's own goal, before Ollie Watkins made sure of the result with a composed finish from 18 yards late on.
Since beating Fulham 2-1 at the Pirelli Stadium in September, the Brewers have broken the deadlock on only two occasions on home soil.
That is giving them a rescue job to perform in home game after home game.
And it proved to be beyond them against the play-off-chasing visitors, with not a single Burton shot finding the target.
"We're not too unhappy, but not happy with the result at all," said Clough.
"I thought it was harsh on us because we went toe-to-toe with Brentford for large periods of the game.
"Once the first goal goes in, you see heads drop a little.
"And then especially after the second one, then they are in danger of running amok and getting a few more goals, which we didn't want to happen.
"They got their tails up at 2-0, and they are probably as good a footballing side as you'll have in the Championship.
"We caused them problems tonight, balls across the face of goal again.
"There weren't many clear-cut chances in the game. I think Stephen Bywater, apart from the last 10 minutes, didn't have much to do either.
"And we were very, very unfortunate with the first goal."
On such a miserable run at home - with only two points taken from a possible 42 - it is unsurprising that confidence is affected.
The Brewers are regularly keeping themselves in contention until the final half-hour of games, when opposition sides are seizing control.
So is there a mental aspect to Albion's problems once the first goal goes against them?
"It is psychological now, it's not physical - and then it lends itself to the physical side, players lose a yard or whatever when that goal goes in," added Clough.
"But I thought it was more the second goal tonight.
"The first one is a blow for us because we are in the game, and then we had a chance to get an equaliser, you don't get one, they get the second one, which is a bit soft and we should've defended better.
"Then it is 2-0 and Brentford are just controlling the game from there on in, as they do against an awful lot of teams."
