Claudio Ranieri says Fulham will draw confidence from their 4-2 win over Brighton and singled out two-goal hero Aleksandar Mitrovic for praise.

The Cottagers were 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes but scored four second-half goals to claim a vital win.

Calum Chambers started the fightback soon after the restart before Mitrovic’s double, with Luciano Vietto making sure of the result with just over 10 minutes to play.

“He [Mitrovic] is crucial,” said the Italian manager. “He is important.

Mitrovic is our goalscorer and he plays in this way. He gives us spirit.” Fulham remain 19th in the Premier League table and are still five points adrift of safety.

Ranieri is well aware that his side face a real battle to preserve their top-flight status but feels the victory over the Seagulls has provided a much-needed confidence boost. “It is a little step but we are alive, that is very, very important,” he added.

“We know nothing is done but we survived. We are in the relegation zone and it is a little step and we are a little more confident something will happen.

“It was important for us to react and react well. To win at the end.”

Fulham head to Crystal Palace at the weekend and are 4.00 to take all three points. Mitrovic is 6.00 to score the first goal or 2.88 to score at anytime.