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Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini hailed his side's fighting spirit after they overcame the 10th-minute dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany to claim a 2-0 Premier League win at Hull.
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David Silva's brilliant 14th-minute goal and a last-minute strike from Edin Dzeko helped City end a tough week on a high after successive defeats to Wigan and Barcelona in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively.
Pellegrini said: "I think it was a very good response from the team. It was a very difficult week and then we had to start this game playing with one player less after 10 minutes.
"It was more difficult to play with 10 players but I trust the team, I trust the players and I think we did really well with the ball."
Kompany was sent off for bringing down Hull striker Nikica Jelavic as he tried to go through on goal, but Pellegrini suggested Jelavic ought to have been punished for fouling the City defender moments earlier.
Pellegrini added: "I thought before it was clear foul by Jelavic -- before Vincent did his foul - but the referee didn't see it, he saw the foul of Kompany and he sent him off."
The Chilean also sought to play down the second-half bust-up between goalkeeper Joe Hart and Hull substitute George Boyd following the latter's penalty appeal, which resulted in Hart being shown a yellow card.
He said: "I am so far away on the bench it is not possible to see what happened. If Joe reacted, maybe the other player dived. I don't know -- that is why there is a referee."
City's win took them at least temporarily back into second place and cut the gap on leaders Chelsea, but the City boss played down the implications of the result.
He added: "We are not sending a message to anyone -- to Chelsea or to any other teams. We are back in the Premier League after three weeks and it was important to win this game because we were nine points behind the leaders."
Hull boss Steve Bruce, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions Boyd dived in a bid to win his side a 69th-minute spot-kick.
And although Bruce stressed he thought referee Lee Mason got the decision spot-on, he suggested Boyd had a better shout when he was pulled down by Fernandinho in the box two minutes later.
Bruce said: "There's a difference between simulation and diving, and trying to get out of the road. That's what Boyd is trying to do -- nobody's going to stand there with Joe Hart coming at him.
"I think the referee got it spot-on. But the push in the back (by Fernandinho) looked a penalty."
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.