Real Sociedad manager David Moyes has praised his team's defensive strength after they snatched a slender victory over Barcelona on Sunday.

The Scotsman, who joined the La Liga side in November, seven months after getting sacked by Manchester United, oversaw his side hold on to a 1-0 win at the Estadio Anoeta.

Jordi Alba's second-minute own goal was the difference between the two sides in the game, which began with Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Neymar on the bench.

"I am very happy to get the result, it was a very important and it was a very hard game," Moyes said in a press conference. "We worked hard defensively and defending is a big part of football. You don't win games if you don't defend well. The way that we played at the back gave us the chance to win this game.

"I always hope that we have the ball in all our matches but against Barcelona you know that this is difficult. This is something that we can improve on but I would like to emphasise the spirit of the team and the way we worked hard together."

Moyes has just one blemish on his league record so far in Spain after six games.