PALACE skipper Mile Jedinak revealed he and the players felt arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion were "over-confident" before leading the Eagles out at the Amex Stadium.
The Australian also hailed his team-mates for putting in a fantastic performance, especially in the second half, and says they took their experience from last Friday's goalless first leg into the game on the south coast.
"In the first half at Selhurst we weren't at our best, but after that I thought we took a lot of momentum from that second half and a lot of things from that," he said.
"We didn't stop and we brought it from the first minute in the second leg. I couldn't be prouder of the way the boys put themselves about. We could sense Brighton were a little bit over-confident but look what happened in the end.
"We took that over and used it as ammunition, but I said a few days just before the first leg that whoever can keep their composure and calmness over the two legs will get the ascendancy."
And Jedinak, who is now set to lead Palace out at Wembley for the play-off final on May 27, says they proved any doubters wrong before a ball had even been kicked heading into the two matches.
"It's a huge rivalry but the fans came down to support the boys. We as a team and as a group, we're always confident of our own ability," he said.
"We showed that for the whole 90 minutes, which was fantastic.
"The manager is chuffed to bits but he didn't say too much in the dressing room, but he's happy with the way things went.
"He just said to enjoy this moment, and a lot of people wrote us off, so we've proved them wrong and we're going to look to continue."
Wilfried Zaha took most of the plaudits for his stunning double in the final 20 minutes and Jedinak is relieved to have the winger on his team.
And he hopes the 20-year-old will be kind to the Eagles should they meet in the Premier League next season.
"Wilfried is fully focused at this club and he always has been – he doesn't really talk about [the move to Manchester United] too much," said Jedinak.
"It would be good to play against him next season – hopefully, he can take it easy against us.
"He did his part, and all I can say to him is to enjoy the moment. But then I don't think I have to say that because you know how he plays and he revels in this sort of environment.
"I'm glad I'm on his team and we've got him for the next game."
