Unai Emery feels Paris Saint-Germain's 4-1 Coupe de la Ligue win over Monaco was the logical result of their hard work this campaign.
Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria found the net in the opening 45 minute to hand PSG a 2-1 lead at half-time, before Edinson Cavani netted a double after the interval to help the capital side to their fourth consecutive Coupe de la Ligue win.
Emery was understandably delighted with his side's outing and hopes to build on Saturday's win in Ligue 1 as they look to catch Monaco in the remainder of the season.
"We really needed to win this title," Emery said at a media conference.
"Playing this final against Monaco allowed us to show our ability to grow and keep making progress. When you work hard to follow a certain philosophy, it is inevitable the rewards eventually come.
"I am happy to have won a trophy and to have shown what we can do against a team like Monaco, we showed that we can deliver a great performance. It was a very different game compared to our two matches in Ligue 1. This is a confidence and motivation boost.
"We were a goal up at half-time, but I told the players that they had to keep pushing and remain in charge. You have to keep going forward. The team showed great spirit.
"We will keep pushing in Ligue 1 and make sure we are ready to seize the moment if Monaco slip up."
