Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri said he was happy after his side overcame a hurdle in a 1-0 win over Lecce at home on Sunday.
Edinson Cavani scored a late goal to seal the win for Napoli who moved within three points of Serie A leaders AC Milan.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game and the boys did excellently despite their fatigue," Mazzarri was quoted as saying by Skysports.
"The most important thing was to win and overcome what we expected to be a hurdle.
"This Napoli side never gives in and to score another late goal gives us another dose of positive morale," he said.
"I could say that we squandered a number of chances to score previously and maybe should have sealed the points earlier.
"Now we close the year on a high and given our position in the standings I can do little else but compliment my men for a superb effort," he added.