Stuart Lancaster felt England were deserved winners after the hosts came from behind to get their autumn series of to a winning start against Australia.
Fly-half Owen Farrell slotted over a brace of early penalties before Australia No10 Quade Cooper got the visitors on the scoreboard at Twickenham.
Despite dominating the first half, England found themselves 13-6 behind at the interval after Matt Toomua crossed the line and Cooper converted before adding another three points.
However, England regrouped, led by captain Chris Robshaw, who scored a try of his own before Farrell spotted a gap and touched down to seal a 20-13 win in their opening autumn Test.
“It was a really tough Test match for us and I’m delighted to get the win,” said Lancaster.
“It was disappointing to go in 13-6 down after all the opportunity in the first half and conceding a sloppy try.
“But I was delighted with the composure that we showed in the second half and got the deserved win in the end.”
He added: “It was a great start. If you put it into context in terms of the preparation we had and we were in a similar situation last year but the score was the other way round.
“It feels a hell of a lot better to have won than lost.”
On Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood, Lancaster added: “He and Tom Wood were outstanding. They both led from the front and showed their experience.
“They’re still relatively new in terms of caps but led the pack very well. Chris scored a good try and involved throughout the game.”
Meanwhile, Red Rose coach Andy Farrell praised England’s ability to win the game despite enduring difficult moments over the 80 minutes.
“The game was quite stop-start with us making unforced errors and Australia kicking the ball,” Farrell added.
“Our ability to find a way to win was outstanding. There’s a few issues to iron out. There was a lack of continuity in the first half.”