Nigel Pearson admitted relief was his overriding emotion after seeing Leicester secure their Premier League status with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland.
The point the Foxes collected from their trip to Wearside took their tally to 19 from a possible 24, and 38 in total, to assure safety with a game to spare.
It is a remarkable achievement for a club which had looked to be heading straight back into the Championship before launching a concerted fightback, and Pearson was delighted with his side's efforts.
"There's no point in me trying to flower over it, I was relieved," he said. "It's not been an easy season. There have been highlights and plenty of lowlights as well, let's be honest.
"But we have managed to stay together throughout it, and that's the important thing for us.
"Even when there have been question marks over, whether it be my position or the integrity of certain aspects of the football club, throughout it all, we have just kept a pretty low profile -- apart from one or two occasions.
"But I don't think that's a bad thing either."
Chelsea remain the only team to have beaten City in a run of eight games, and Pearson paid tribute to his players and the work they have done in recent weeks to fashion their own salvation.
He added: "The players need to enjoy it for what it is -- it has been a tremendous run and an achievement in context.
"Success is relative and success for us this season -- when you consider where we were a couple of months ago, to achieve safety with a game to go is testament to the work that the players have put in.
"That's something that we can't under-play, but we have a game left and we want to win that one now as well."