Gus Poyet: "What a league this is. We need to keep going.
"Before I said we needed to get safe somehow; now if we don't stay up, it would be a shame because we have done a terrific job until now.
"Now we are in a position where it is in our hands and we need to take it, so I am going to make sure that we do the right things from now until the end of the season."
Poyet reserved special praise for Johnson and debutant Liam Bridcutt, who started just a day after completing his move from Brighton.
The Uruguayan said: "He knows the role perfectly. If there is one person in the world who knows the role I want that player to play, it's Liam.
"Not being able to play Lee Cattermole because he was injured for the last couple of games, it was a relief for me to have Liam in the team.
"I had no doubt about playing him today and giving him a debut because I know that he knows what I want and what is needed in that role."