Ruben Amorim conceded Manchester United were fortunate to beat Newcastle 1-0 on Friday but said his under-strength squad showed impressive spirit to withstand a second-half onslaught.
Missing injured captain Bruno Fernandes plus the absent Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo due to the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim was forced to adapt, AFP said.
Patrick Dorgu started in an unfamiliar role on the right side of attack and the Dane scored his first United goal to secure a first home win in two months for Amorim's men.
After a promising first half, the Red Devils were forced to defend for almost the entirety of the second period.
But they held on for just a second clean sheet of the season despite Newcastle having 67 percent possession and 16 shots on goal.
“We had to suffer all together in the stadium," said Amorim.
"We did a good first half and then the second half we just had to defend and try to do something (going forward).
"It was a good win but I had so many games here saying we played really well and didn't get the three points. Today was the opposite, we suffered together and managed to win the game."
Victory lifts United up to fifth in the Premier League and level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.
A top-five finish is likely to be enough to secure a place in the Champions League next year due to English sides' strong start to this season's European competitions.
But Newcastle's hopes of a return to the Champions League are fading due to their miserable away form.
Eddie Howe's men sit 11th, having won just once in nine league games on the road this season.
"Second half was a lot better than the first, but we didn't do enough. We had to do more," said Howe.
"We were very dominant in the second period and I felt if we scored we could have gone on to win the game, but it didn't happen."
