Roma coach Claudio Ranieri admits he told his players at halftime they deserved to be jeered ahead of their Europa League comeback against Fulham.

Roma eventually fought back to beat nine-man Fulham 2-1 with goals from John Arne Riise and Stefano Okaka.

“It always helps to play with an extra man, but I’d say the red card was a clear foul. The rules speak clearly, if you hack down a player from behind, then you’re out,” said Ranieri.

“I told the lads at half-time that the fans were absolutely right to jeer them. We were playing really badly, but instead the supporters stood with us.

“I knew it would be a tough start, as we had to make lots of changes due to injuries, but as time went on things improved and we deservedly won it.

“These are three important points, as with the first half result we were out of the competition. We got the game back by the scruff of its neck and now will fight it out with Basel for the top spot.”