Inter Milan boss Andrea Stramaccioni felt Sunday night's defeat of Napoli showed his seam are firmly on the right track.
The Nerazzurri leapfrogged Napoli into second spot in Serie A with a hard-fought 2-1 win at the San Siro.
Fredy Guarin and Diego Milito got the Inter goals, with Edinson Cavani's second-half strike proving nothing more than a consolation as Inter's tactics of attempting to contain Napoli's attacking threat paid dividends.
Stramaccioni said: "We prepared for this game with the aim of stopping Napoli from doing what they are good at, not letting Cavani unleash his quality and limiting (Marek) Hamsik's space.
"We succeeded by going about our jobs very carefully."
Stramaccioni has been in the job less than nine months after succeeding the sacked Claudio Ranieri but he is confident Inter are making solid progress.
He added: "It was a big win, just as we turned in big performances in the other matches against our direct rivals and showed that we can give anyone a game.
"(Napoli boss Walter) Mazzarri has honed his team year on year, whereas Inter have just started building theirs now.
"We're in the first year of our project but I'm delighted with how we're doing.
We've got a very close-knit group, we prepare for matches carefully, the lads have really applied themselves. I have a lot of respect for these players."
Inter are four points behind defending champions Juventus and president Massimo Moratti hopes that gap can be bridged, but warned their form must improve against some of Serie A's lesser lights.
He told the Inter website: "Our focus is very high in the big matches, both from the players and the coach, who really does his homework.
"I think he tries to do likewise against the others but perhaps there's just a little less concentration."
Reports from the continent had suggested that big-spending PSG were ready to turn their attention to the 31-year-old left-back.
But France international Evra, who has been with United for over six years following his move from Monaco, insists he has no intentions of leaving before his contract has expired in 2014.
Talking to CanalPlus he said: "You are not serious to ask me such a question? I have one year remaining on my contract, I am playing at Manchester United and I am captain.
"You would need to kill [Sir Alex] Ferguson before anyone made me go to Paris! There is nothing in it and I am happy at Manchester."
However, the Senegal-born Evra admitted he was flattered to be linked with a move to Paris, where he was raised.
"It's always a pleasure to be wanted by a club such as Paris Saint-Germain, especially as I am Parisian. I have never hidden my love of Paris, even though Monaco is still 'my' team," he said.
"It has always pained me to see the club not win the title or qualify for the Champions League."
