Unai Emery showered praise on Robin Olsen after Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 49th minute, firing past Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal.
The Villa striker has now scored five goals in his last four appearances against his former club, while also now being involved in 10 goals in his last 14 Premier League games in London, scoring nine and assisting one.
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Villa defended manfully after Watkins broke the deadlock as Olsen managed to keep only Villa's fourth league clean sheet of the campaign.
"I think today we were prepared in this game," Emery said. "More or less trying to get balance in the league. We are not going to play now 25 days again in the Premier League.
"We are going to play Wednesday in the Champions League, the break for international matches, then FA Cup, then in Brighton.
"More or less to try to get confidence, belief in our way. Today was a very important match. We have spoken, in the meetings, how to be competing.
"Competing here, wishing to win in everything we were doing and today we needed to adapt to every demand. They were pushing us for 90 minutes.
"We started the first 45 minutes dominating more, controlling the game, creating chances, corners, and we didn't concede a lot of them. The second half we scored the goal, the second one VAR refusing and then they started progressively dominating more than us.
"We needed some transition, but it was the match for our defensive position with the players, our commitment defensively to try to get a clean sheet through Olsen.
"He did a fantastic job today, and the back-four as well, a fantastic job. We achieved those three points, it is giving us the confidence and the belief in the Premier League to try to continue in fighting for a European position."
Emery added: "He [Olsen] did a fantastic job and he is always ready to play, to help. He's so appreciated as a person in the dressing room, and the players as well, they are happy for him as well, because to be substitute for Emi Martinez, the best goalkeeper in the world, is not easy and he is always doing fantastic as a person, as a professional.
"But for example, last match we played away, he (Martinez) was not available in the second half in Palace. He (Olsen) played, we conceded three goals and today was very important, for his confidence, for the players to try get this victory through a clean sheet, to try help and support Robin Olsen. It was really fantastic how he played today and how he helped us today."
