Fulham's stunning 4-2 comeback win over Brighton will give them the confidence to believe they can stay up, says Claudio Ranieri.
Relegation-threatened Fulham went two goals behind in the in opening 17 minutes at home to Brighton on Tuesday night but recovered to score four goals in the second half.
"It is a little step but we are alive, that is very, very important," Ranieri said. "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."
Glenn Murray's two early goals will have made Ranieri fear the worst but he knew his side had time to turn things around.
Calum Chambers' goal just after the break ignited the Fulham players and kick-started the comeback.
"I said it at 2-0 goal it is much better to be like this at the beginning of the match than the end, Ranieri added. "We had all the time to have something good. It was great to score at the beginning of the second half, the players got the confidence, it was unbelievable."
Ranieri brought on Tom Cairney before the break and Luciano Vietto at half-time and both had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.
"After the substitution, the team was more organised in the substitution and we made something good," he said.
The Fulham manager reserved special praise for his captain Aleksandar Mitrovic who scored twice in the comeback.
"He [Mitrovic] is crucial," Ranieri added. "He is important. Mitrovic is our goalscorer and he plays in this way. He gives us spirit."