Alex McLeish said Shay Given had got him and Aston Villa off the hook with a point-saving debut in the Premier League opener at Fulham.
McLeish was not exactly welcomed with open arms at Villa Park following his controversial summer defection from Birmingham and defeat in his first competitive match in charge would have provided ammunition to his critics.
And but for new signing Given, that could easily have been the outcome, the Republic of Ireland star making several saves in what was otherwise a pretty dire goalless draw.
McLeish said: "The bottom line is, when there was all the furore, I always said it's about results.
"We started the league with a very good away point."
He added of Given, who Villa rescued from his Manchester City nightmare last month: "His experience tells him when to go into the right positions.
"You might have seen other goalies diving for one of the two that came point-blank at him, but that's the experience of a great goalkeeper."