Nigel Pearson believes his "phenomenal" Leicester City side are finally living up to their potential as a 2-0 victory over Southampton leaves them on the brink of Premier League survival.
Leicester had looked in grave danger at the beginning of April, sitting at the bottom of the table and seemingly set to drop back to the Championship at the first opportunity.
But wins over West Ham, West Brom, Swansea, Burnley and Newcastle United helped propel Leicester out of the relegation zone and Saturday's defeat of Southampton means safety is within their grasp.
Leicester head into their final two games of the season with 37 points, three clear of the drop zone, and Pearson feels the team are finally getting results that match their overall performances this season.
"The players continue to work hard, believe in ourselves," he told BBC Sport.
"Throughout the season we played to a level where the results didn't always reflect our performances.
"The fans stuck with us, they've seen enough to suggest we've got performances in us. This run's been phenomenal really.
"Look at Sunderland's win at Everton; it shows you can't really compare seasons. With 37 points we are still having to fight hard.
"It transpires that we needed the run we have had to give ourselves a chance.
"When you get to Christmas with the position we were in, we were hoping we'd get to the final day with it still being in our hands.
"We have had a fantastic run but have work to do. Even for a weird manager like myself we have to take stick and see it through."
