Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert praised the resolve of his players after they ended a six-match Premier League losing streak with a battling goalless draw at West Ham.
Since beating Liverpool at Anfield in mid-September, Lambert's men have plummeted down the table despite some promising performances.
That was not the case at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, where goalkeeper Brad Guzan capped a superb rearguard display with a stunning save in stoppage time to keep out a point-blank header from Andy Carroll, who was making his first appearance of the season following ankle surgery.
"It is a great point," Lambert told his postgame news conference. "To come to a ground where West Ham have been playing really well -- they have beaten Manchester City and Liverpool not so long ago -- to play as we did and be resolute I thought was first-class.
"We spoke all week that balls were going to be on top of us and we had to deal with it. I thought they coped fantastically well.
"In the second half I thought we were comfortable apart from the last five minutes or so when Andy Carroll comes on and there was [Diafra] Sakho up there and Carlton Cole -- three big guys.
"We we are not the biggest of teams, but they put their bodies on the line."
American goalkeeper Guzan had produced a couple of good reaction stops before saving his best for the dying stages, when Villa were under siege from an aerial bombardment.
"That is what he's paid for -- and he is overpaid," said Lambert. "To be fair, his save at the end was top class, and he is a great guy and a top [professional]. I am delighted for him."
Villa had do to without Belgium international Christian Benteke, who started a three-match ban following his red card at Tottenham.
However, the visitors did offer some threat on the counter, through Andreas Weimann, Charles N'Zogbia and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Lambert added: "We have had an horrendous run of fixtures, that has made it tough. Hopefully now we can pick things up."