AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has hailed his side for their victory over Siena in Serie A on Sunday.
Bojan Krkic and Giampaolo Pazzini scored in the second half to lead the Rossoneri to a 2-1 win at San Siro.
"Nothing in particular happened during the break, it's just that at times with bad first-half performances you can risk defeat, but we got back on track in the second," Allegri told reporters.
"The first game back from Christmas is always a little strange, but we got over a bad start, remained compact and won even without centre-backs.
"[Mattia] De Sciglio (who played in central defence despite being a full-back) proved himself to be a lad with great quality. This is an important victory that takes us closer to the top teams."
Milan are now seventh in the Serie A table.