Manchester United manager Ferguson accused all of the Bolton players of spending the week ahead of the clash with Chelsea partying after the win over Sunderland all but secured their Premier League survival.

Al Habsi says the players were stung by Ferguson's criticism and he believes their resilent display at Stamford Bridge proved the United boss wrong.

"Alex Ferguson said Bolton were already celebrating and going out, and this is the best answer we could have given him," Al Habsi told the Bolton Evening News.

"But the most important thing was keeping Bolton in the Premier League this season. It's brilliant and it was a fantastic draw at Chelsea."

Bolton secured their safety by taking 10 points from the last five games and Al Habsi believes their defensive strength provided the base for their escape from relegation.

"West Ham, Middlesbrough, Tottenham and Sunderland - those four games kept us up," added Al Habsi.

"We had three clean sheets in that period and that helped Bolton stay up."