Philippe Clement was proud of Norwich City's response as the Canaries came from behind to beat Charlton Athletic 3-1 at The Valley, ending their difficult run of results.
City fell behind early but fought back through Paris Maghoma and Mathias Kvistgaarden before securing an important victory, with Clement pleased by the character shown by his players.
When asked if he felt relieved or joyful following the result, he said: “Both of them, but also proud of the team,”
“We didn't start the game well. They put us under pressure with a lot of crosses and long balls.
“But after that, we started to do that. Then we came into the game and became the dominant force throughout the game.
“It's important lessons for the group, for the young lads also, to recognise better and faster where the spaces are. The moment they understood and we could get contact with them, then we started to play good football and the football that our fans want to see.
“Then it was a joy to see the team playing, the amount of chances we created and the good goals we scored.”
The head coach insisted the squad's togetherness had never been in doubt, even during their difficult spell, and was pleased with the response from those selected and those who missed out.
“There's no problem with that in this group,” he said. “They're working hard. They want to do everything for the club, maybe in some moments even too much, and they lose, in the desire to give the fans what they want, the overview when they have the ball.
“Those are lessons to take with a very young squad. I'm happy to have Kenny also back in that squad, who can help the team to recognise things faster.”
Clement was also encouraged by the spirit shown throughout the group, with every player remaining united despite the selection decisions.
“Everybody's united in this group,” he said. “There was a really good atmosphere yesterday evening among all the players during and after dinner.
“Otherwise, you cannot come back after going behind here in the beginning of the game and not being good on the ball.
“The dressing room is really good. It's now about getting consistency in the performances and game management. That's experience, and the more experience they have together, the better they will get with the guidance of all the coaching staff.”
Clement wants his players to enjoy the win but warned against becoming complacent, with further improvements needed over the coming weeks.
“I told them they need to feel happy about that, but this is just a start,” he said. “They need to fuel their confidence for the weeks and months to come, to start to play better also and to raise the standards that we have.
“They can still do better. It's a positive day, a really good day, also scoring three goals in an away game. A lot of good performances and we need to keep on building on that for the next months to come.
“Not being satisfied with this and now becoming sloppy or lazy.”
The head coach also praised Norwich's travelling support, who continued to encourage the team after they fell behind.
“They were brilliant all game long,” he said. “Also after going behind, they kept on pushing the team and it's such a big power.
“This club is really unique because it's a family club where the fans stay behind the team also in difficult moments. And that helped the players also.
“If they started to become negative, maybe one or two or three and four and five become nervous and you don't come in the game because they don't dare to get the ball anymore, and they're not brave anymore.
“So the fans have been also really, really important to them.”
Clement confirmed that Pelle Mattsson was substituted at half-time after experiencing hamstring cramps, but did not expect the issue to be too serious.
“He had some cramps in his hammy, so I don't think it will be too serious,” he said. “That was the reason not to continue with him, because it was too risky to get a serious injury.”