Serge Aurier labelled Paris Saint-Germain's win at Lyon as important for the Ligue 1 champions in their quest to return to the top of the table.
Edinson Cavani scored twice as PSG overcame Lyon 2-1 on Sunday to move within a point of the summit.
Mathieu Valbuena's equaliser had Lyon on track for a share of the spoils until Cavani scored his second of the match, nine minutes from time.
PSG's fourth consecutive win helped the capital club - third in the standings - close the gap on league-leading Nice, who drew on Sunday, and full-back Aurier revelled in the victory.
"It was a difficult match because Lyon wanted to get a result," Aurier told Canal Plus. "We knew it would be complicated for us.
"But we made a good start to the match with calmness and control. The goal allowed us to relax a little.
"We were a little timid early in the second period and they equalized, but we won in character. As [second-placed] Monaco had won [4-0 against Marseille], it was important to win too."
Blaise Matuidi - who made his 259th competitive appearance for PSG to move 14th on the all-time list alongside Edouard Cisse - added: "Perhaps experience made the difference.
"They were more aggressive but also took advantage of the spaces we left. We are happy to take the three points."
