Kevin De Bruyne said the result was more important than the performance as Manchester City ground out a 1-1 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach to qualify to the Champions League knockout stages.
City failed to replicate the intensity of their victory over Barcelona earlier this month, and both sides had a man sent off in a disjointed game, but David Silva's equaliser ensured their progress from Group C.
When asked if the result was more important than the performance, De Bruyne told BT Sport: "The result [was more important] in the end. After we got the red card we killed the game and that was the most important thing.
"It is not nice to see but we are through and that is the most important thing.
"It was very tough. They [Monchengladbach] are very compact and even before they scored they just wanted to defend."
Speaking about Silva's goal in first-half stoppage time, the Belgium international added: "It was a good goal but it was a tough first half and we played even better in the second half.
"We can do better but that's not the most important today."