Vincenzo Montella hailed nine-man AC Milan's thrilling 1-0 defeat of Bologna on Wednesday, while saving special praise for substitute Andrea Poli's efforts in the win.
Gabriel Paletta and Juraj Kucka were sent off in the 36th and 59th minutes, respectively, forcing Montella's men to play with a two-man disadvantage for the final half-hour.
And Poli, who came on as a tactical substitute following Kucka's dismissal, was forced to limp through the final 12 minutes with a knee he injured shortly after coming on.
However, Mario Pasalic stepped up and scored a dramatic winner with a minute left in the match to put an end to the San Siro side's four-game losing streak.
"I want to compliment Andrea Poli because in a moment of great difficulty he was absolutely essential and helped out every single teammate," Montella told Sky Italia.
"He came on and did great, then he had an injury too so we were basically down to eight-and-a-half men. But he worked so hard and I wanted to single him out for praise.
"It was difficult to hold in my emotions after the goal, given what we had lived through in a game like that.
"It is a great victory that is worth more than three points, as it proves this is a team with the attributes of spirit and organisation.
"We needed this to show ourselves that this spirit was within us and it was a victory earned with sheer determination."
Pasalic's goal was set up by a sublime assist from Gerard Deulofeu, who told reporters after the match that the win felt worthy of 10 points rather than the standard three.
"It was an incredible night -- I have never seen a game like this, with nine against 11," Deulofeu, who is on loan from Everton, told Sky Italia.
"These three points feel like they are worth six. In fact, let's say they are worth 10!
"These are three points of astonishing importance and we are very happy.
"We honoured the jersey. Milan is a historic club and we must always put in performances of such determination.
"I ran to the byline and I saw Pasalic there. I don't do easy things, I try to do the difficult things and when I saw him there I had to try.
"I did think the red cards were harsh but this Milan has young players with character. Day by day, game by game, they can go far."