It has been a mixed bag for the reigning champions so far this season - five wins from their first nine GUINNESS PRO12 clashes leaving them off the pace and sitting in fifth.
However, victory against Ospreys in their last league clash has given O'Connor's troops the platform to build from.
And, while Harlequins edged the first encounter between the sides, Leinster's 14-13 victory at the Aviva Stadium gives them a European lifeline.
"I wouldn't say we escaped (with the result), no. It was tight, it was an arm wrestle," O'Connor said.
"It was very, very intense, a high quality game between two very committed sides. Escaped is a very strong word.
"If we had executed a little bit better we could have been out of sight at half-time. That was our doing. They came back very hard at us in the second half - we were a bit inaccurate early doors and, as a result, they got their tails up and got a bit of momentum.
"We would have liked to be more accurate and get something more in London last weekend but there's two games to go (in the pool stages) and we've given ourselves a chance."
Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12
63x46.png){kind=logo}