Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay believes his side's encounter with Leicester City was a great advert for the Championship.
Craig Bellamy's 25th-minute strike was enough to separate the two teams at the King Power Stadium on Saturday as they condemned City to their second successive defeat.
The Bluebirds sit three points clear on top of the Championship table, with the gap between themselves and fifth-place City now 10 points.
Mackay said it was he was delighted to pick up the three points.
"We knew we were coming to play a very good team with a good, experienced manager, and we knew it was going to be tough," he said.
"I have never had an easy game at Leicester in my life, but I thought it was a great advert for the Championship.
"I am not saying that because we won, but it was two teams that were playing attractive football, and at a hell of a tempo.
"The pace of the game was unbelievable, so I am delighted with the performance."
Bellamy's first-time strike was his fourth goal of the season and his manager said it encapsulated the Welshman's quality.
"It's the quality of the individual we have got," said Mackay. "But more so than the strike, I am looking at the way that he is closing people down in the last five minutes and that shows you the determination of the lad to be a team player.
"He said a couple of weeks ago that he thinks it's the best group of lads that he has ever played with, in terms of the team ethic and the hard work.
"I think that showed through in his pressing and his closing down and his running channels. I thought that was exceptional."
Mackay also paid tribute to his goalkeeper David Marshall.
"To come here and get a clean sheet is no mean feat," he said. " Especially when you're playing against a really good team – a team that when they attack, can cause teams massive damage.
"I think he (Marshall) is the best keeper in the division. I think his consistency over the last 18 months has been unbelievable."
