Fulham head coach Marco Silva has hailed the quality of captain Tom Cairney after the midfielder shone in yesterday’s 5-3 thrilling win over Leicester City.

The Scottish international has made 27 appearances from the bench this term but has thrived since being restored to the starting line-up after Andreas Pereira’s season-ending injury. The midfielder was influential in Fulham’s narrow defeat at Anfield in midweek and he put together a man-of-the-match performance in scoring his first Premier League brace as the Foxes were plunged deeper into relegation trouble.

Silva said:

“Tom is always a player that can give us the calmness to start the game, even some moments under pressure he can give us what we need. Of course he knows I am pushing him to arrive in certain areas, to be between the lines. In some moments, first and second phase, we need players like him to start well, but when the game goes forward and we are in our defensive half, we need him to arrive in certain areas as well.

Two great finishes, two great goals from him. Top quality player. We know his quality on the ball, everything that he can do. I’m pleased to see him working hard off the ball, understanding the moments, understanding the moments to press higher with Vini, the moments that he should drop to help the other midfielders as well. It was a very good performance from him and I’m really pleased for him.

He deserves it and he’s having a good season, even if he’s not playing every time from the start. All of the last season for him has been good.”

The Fulham boss has urged his side to follow up the thumping win over Leicester by beating Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday as he aims to set a new club record points tally in the top flight.

“It’s really important we don’t hide that it’s our clear goal to achieve the target points that we want, to make the season even to be more brilliant, if I can say. We want really to finish the season with a big stamp, and the stamp will be to get that certain amount of points. We are going to fight for it definitely.

We don’t know if it’s going to happen. But we are going to work hard and fight really hard and to enjoy to embrace the challenge to achieve it.”