Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill admitted it was a hard fought 2-1 win they claimed over League Two Gillingham in the FA Cup third-round. James Milner scored the winner from the spot in the 79th minute.
Simeon Jackson had earlier smashed home a 57th-minute equaliser to cancel out Milner's first-half opener.
Villa boss O'Neill told ITV1: "It was really tough. I came here last week and knew it would be tough. If the players didn't know it would be tough they did after 10 minutes.
"They (Gillingham) are very strong. They played very well and good luck to them this season."
O'Neill and Gillingham boss Mark Stimson exchanged words on the touchline in the second half, but O'Neill played down the incident.
"We shook hands in the end," he said.
Villa will be away to either Cheltenham or Doncaster in the fourth round.