Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim said his side were not at their best as they recorded their first Ligue 1 win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Nice.
Aleksandr Golovin scored twice, first in the 29th minute for his first goal of the season, firing the ball into the top corner, only for Nice's Patrick Burner to hit the equaliser just after half-time.
Monaco reclaimed the lead thanks to a second from the Russian midfielder before Wissam Ben Yedder's strike sealed the three points.
Speaking after the game Jardim told a press conference reported by L'Equipe: "It's important to win. We know our value.
"We are not the best today. But last week and before, we were not the worst either.
"Victory is always good, the equaliser occurs on a bad deflection at the near post. But the team reacted very well."
Nice coach Patrick Vieira said he did not make the right substitutions as the club missed the opportunity to go level on points with Paris St Germain at the top of the table.
Speaking after the game, Vieira said: "We fell against a team that wanted to react and show that it is composed of good players.
"I could have made better changes. Granted, Golovin played a great match. But I could have strengthened my midfield so as not to suffer as much."
Vieira added that he regretted that the experienced Dante and Christophe Herelle were unavailable through injury.
He said: "This team is also very young and lacks experience behind. This defeat will serve us.
"In this kind of game and defeat, we learn a lot. This team will progress further."