Claudio Ranieri Hails 'Amazing' Fulham and Praises Aleksandar Mitrovic After 3-2 Southampton Victory

Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for Fulham after they fought their way to a 3-2 victory over Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

In what was Ranieri's first game in charge of Fulham, a first half strike from Andre Schurrle and a brace from Aleksandar Mitrovic helped to lift the Cottagers off the bottom of the table.

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Following the match, Ranieri hailed his side's determination and insisted that the result will put them on the path to future success.

"It is a little step, but an important step for the players, for everybody, for the fans," Ranieri told Sky Sports. "We had to work hard. The match was 3-2, but could have been many more for us, for them, but I am happy.

"When we were one down, I wanted to see how we reacted and it was very good, amazing. At 2-2 we again had to react, and this is the spirit that I like.

"The players arrive together this week, and I only had two days with them. It is not easy to work in this condition, but it is okay. Of course we have to work more, more, more. I asked the players to fight until the end."

Mitrovic, who managed to break his six game goal drought, was also singled out for praise by Ranieri after he proved to be the game winner for Fulham.

Ranieri added: "For me Mitrovic is one of the best strikers in Europe. When I say Europe, let's say the world.

"He's only 24 years old, he's a fantastic player. It's important to give the ball to him because he can play as a platform but also as a goalscorer.

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"When the ball arrives in the box he's very, very close to the goal. It's important to give him a lot of chances to score."