Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier praised teammate Edinson Cavani after the French champions' 2-0 win over Bordeaux in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The Uruguay international put the hosts in front with an expert headed finish after just three minutes and doubled the lead for Unai Emery's men on the half-hour mark.
Cavani's double secured the three points at Parc des Princes but Meunier says "nobody in the squad ever doubted him" and that hearing praise for him is "a beautiful contrast to the criticism he has received."
"I love watching him play," Meunier told journalists in the mixed zone after the match. "He works really hard for the side. He has already scored 11 goals this season and that is great.
"His style of play is varied and when he was not scoring, I don't remember him getting the ball much to create chances. Even [Filippo] Inzaghi needed to receive a lot of good balls to score!"
PSG coach Emery was pleased with his players, calling the victory "content-wise, perhaps our best match of the season so far" and admitting he would have liked a more comfortable final score. He was pleased to welcome Hatem Ben Arfa back into the fold, though.
"In the second half, we should have been able to score a third goal for added confidence and to make the match even easier," Emery said.
"[Ben Arfa] showed great motivation during the 15 minutes he was given. He still needs to work hard but it is good that he played a part."
Captain Thiago Silva was pleased "some of our game is returning to us" and relieved "the real face of PSG" is starting to show itself.
"We mastered the ball better today," Silva told reporters. "Even in the Champions League, on Wednesday, it was good. The mentality is there but there are still a lot of things to do. Today we struck the balance between possession and attack."
Some of PSG's estranged Ultras were allowed back at Parc des Princes on Saturday and their presence was felt immediately in a celebration of noise and colour.
Emery called the atmosphere "good" and "proof playing at Parc des Princes is something special," while Silva insisted "this is only the beginning" and that the Ultras will "grow and push us to win."
Meunier admitted he paid attention to the crowd during the game and felt "chants were more regular" and called the match a "positive experience."
"Yes, I paid attention to the atmosphere and spoke about it with [Grzegorz] Krychowiak in the dressing room," Meunier said. "Their support helps us. I hope they will be allowed a little more freedom. Everybody wants the atmosphere to be what it was before."