Wolves lost 3-2 against Bolton after going behind in the first minute of the game.
“We conceded silly goals,” McCarthy told Sky Sports.
“It was a great goal for Elmander of course but poor defending by us and we were all over the show for a couple of minutes and then got done again.
“But we conceded after what? Fifty seconds. It’s an uphill battle after that isn’t it?
“I said to the players, I’m proud of the fact that myself and the trainers have got every last drop out of them. They do work hard, there is never any doubt of their competitive nature.
“They have to do better whether that means not conceding three goals or taking the chances that we created – we did create lots of chances!”
