Regis Le Bris was pleased to see Sunderland's "reconnection with our identity" as they fought hard for a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
Le Bris: Sunderland reconnected with identity in Chelsea win
Enzo Le Fee's penalty was the only goal of the game as Sunderland returned to winning ways against Chelsea, delighting Regis Le Bris.
Sunderland ended a seven-game winless run in the Premier League thanks to Enzo Le Fee's 36th-minute penalty, and moved off the foot of the table.
It was an important return to form ahead of the international break, with the players booed off following a 2-0 loss at home to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday.
They were compact and frustrated Chelsea throughout and even went close to adding to their tally through Wilson Isidor and Chemsdine Talbi in the closing stages.
"It was important before the international break to win again, so the three points are crucial in the league but also the reconnection with our identity and our fans," head coach Regis Le Bris told Sky Sports.
"The more we play this style of play, the more the fans support us. It is like a cycle that helps the energy grow inside the stadium. [The game] was really good. I'm happy for the three points, but there's still a long way to go."
Sunderland have now won three consecutive matches against Chelsea for only the second time in their history, having last achieved the feat between December 1999 and March 2001.
Le Fee was proud of the team for getting back on track, but he insisted there would be no celebrations while they remain in the relegation zone.
"This type of win shows our togetherness. It's most important to keep going, also for the fans to see us fighting like this. A big, big, big three points," said Le Fee.
"We know that if we fight well and win our duels, the crowd will be even more intense. That's what we need. The first point where we wanted to be good was fight and belief. Everyone in the dressing room believes we can come back.
"We know in football there can be tough moments, there can be better moments – but to have the best moments you have to suffer sometimes. We will keep fighting until the end, and the game showed that we are in a good way.
"It's difficult when you are in a bad moment; you have the feeling that everything is really fragile. You can't leave even one per cent of concentration. You have to stay focused until the end, even when you are tired.
"No [celebrations]. We are really happy. We are still near the bottom of the league. We have the international break to rest a bit. It's good because we won. We have to do more and more every single match."
