Swansea City boss Paul Clement believes he saw enough in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth at the Liberty Stadium to suggest his side can avoid relegation this season.
Both sides struggled to carve out many clear opportunities, with the Swans coming closest through Leroy Fer late on - the Netherlands international prodding wide after his initial shot had been saved by Asmir Begovic.
The stalemate ends a run of four straight defeats and Clement was encouraged by a much-improved display, which he hopes will set the tone for a run of positive results to pull them away from the relegation zone.
"I was pleased with the spirit, the determination and the enthusiasm we showed today," he said in his post-match media conference.
"We are not really, really happy because we didn’t win, but I am happy with a lot of the things I saw.
"I saw a team fighting, committed and giving everything to try to get a result.
"I actually thought some of our football in spells was good, especially in the second half.
"We were in total control – all we needed was a finish. Leroy had an opportunity late on. It wasn’t from the best angle and the keeper was in a good position, but the rebound was probably the better chance. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in.
"But that was our best home performance this season. There will be games where we play worse and win. If we continue to build on that level, we will get out of trouble, no doubt about that."
The result means that Bournemouth have now kept clean sheets in their last three Premier League games – a run that Cherries manager Eddie Howe believes shows a renewed resistance in his side.
"I'm very pleased with that mark," he said. "As a team we've functioned well this season but there are plenty of areas to improve.
"I think it's another step forward for us, we didn't play well but came away with a point.
"We're becoming harder to beat, so I'm happy with that. They made it difficult for us."
