Tony Pulis was pleased his team battled their way to three points against Sunderland after a hectic period of fixtures. The Potters won 3-2 at the Britannia Stadium, twice coming from behind, with two late goals doing the damage.
"It's a massive result," Pulis told Sky Sports.
"I think the main point is we've just played four consecutive away games, played Sunday and Wednesday and early Saturday. Sunderland have had a 24-hour bonus in respect to what we've had.
"We gave two silly goals away, first half a couple of minutes in and second half the same and it gives teams a lift and it certainly did Sunderland.
"When we changed it I thought we looked more dangerous. The spirit of the players is absolutely fantastic."
Despite the controversial nature of the two equalisers, Pulis argued that it was about team his side enjoyed some luck.
"When we played at Sunderland [Lee] Cattermole flicked it up with one hand, caught it with the other, threw it behind for a corner and we never got a penalty and he never got sent off, so whatever we got today, thank goodness," added Pulis.
The Potters boss also insisted that survival is always the first priority.
"The one thing we have to do is dampen down the expectations in lots of respects. Our aim is to stay in the Premier League this year.
"We have a very difficult cup tie against Brighton who are flying in their league. If we can get past that and get to 40 points as quick as we can then we'll look at it."
