Speaking to the Press Association after the game, Grayson said: "In any game you want to put the home team of the back foot and we did that (with Howson's fourth-minute opener). Snodgrass showed a lot of composure to pick Jonny Howson out. The second goal saw Snodgrass show a lot of quality and he was great, especially in the first half.
"Jonny and Robert will get the plaudits for the goals but ultimately it was a good team performance and you have to win matches in different ways at times and this was one of those."
After Howson and Snodgrass had given Leeds a 2-0 lead, Lukas Jutkiewicz gave Coventry a lifeline that remained until the final whistle after Ben Turner cancelled out Gradel's penalty, and Grayson was happy to accept the pressure his side came under, even if he was not best pleased with the goals they conceded.
"You know that the way Coventry play, they're going to get opportunities and get balls into the box," he said.
"It's always precarious when you go 2-0 up in any game. Coventry go looking for second balls off set-pieces and long throws and we switched off a couple of times.
"We showed a lot of character and desire to make sure we won the game. We knew we had to fight and scrap but we had to try and play when we got possession of the ball and the first two goals typified that. We played with a lot of confidence in what was a fantastic atmosphere."