Pep Guardiola was relieved to have come away with all three points against Werder Bremen as Bayern Munich recorded a 1-0 win in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The leaders restored their seven-point lead over Borussia Dortmund thanks to Thomas Muller's first-half strike, a win that sets a new league record of nine successive wins at the start of a campaign.
It was not all plain sailing for Bayern, though, and they needed Manuel Neuer to secure their victory as he made a point-blank save from Anthony Ujah just after the hour.
As a result Guardiola was not wholly pleased with his side's display as they struggled to find the rampant form that has typified their play this season.
"We won a tough game," he said. "Bremen defended very deep and made it difficult for us.
"We have controlled the game well but the result is only 1-0. Congratulations to my team, this victory means a lot to me."
Striker Robert Lewandowski – who failed to add to his prolific run of recent form – was equally pleased with the narrow victory.
He added: "We are very pleased with the three points, even if we have only won 1-0.
"You cannot play perfectly every time. Werder played very defensively, it was not easy for us attacking players."
