Jose Mourinho said the decision to postpone Real Madrid's trip to Rayo Vallecano by a day was a burden for his players.
The match was originally scheduled for Sunday, but it could not be fulfilled after it emerged that vandals had sabotaged the wiring that connected the lighting system to the Vallecas, forcing Spanish authorities to move back the fixture.
However, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were on hand to supply Madrid with a vital win on Monday following recent defeats to Getafe and Sevilla, and the coach expressed his disdain with the waiting game they had to endure.
"It was not an easy situation for us, but it was not easy for them too," Mourinho said after the game.
"You come with the mentallity to play, but are then forced to wait and wait for confirmation, and you don't play."
Mourinho then reflected on the eventual performance given by his team at Rayo, and while he admits they could have made more of a statement against their city rivals, he was enthused by the chemistry his 'team' fashioned on the night.
"It was a tough game, but our team responded well," he said.
"Could we have played better? Yes, but I can point my critics to our attitude and the way my team get the job done, and and today Real Madrid were a team.
"I guess if we would have played with this attitude at Getafe and Sevilla, we would have won those two games."
Meanwhile, Gonzalo Higuain insisted that all is to play for, despite the capital giants' early eight-point deficit to league leaders Barcelona.
"It was an important game," the Argentina striker said.
"We came here on the back of a large gap behind Barcelona and had the intention of getting the three points. It was very difficult.
"Must we treat all of our remaining games as finals? We're at the fifth matchday, there is still much to play for. The distance is important but plenty more matches ahead. 33 games is an eternity and we're going to fight until the end.
"At times, we seemed akin to the Real Madrid of last season, but we did not take advantage of all the chances we created. The penalty was good for us, along with the red card.
"I think the team were good overall. We still have room for improvement but we started well in the Champions League, that's a fact."