Crystal Palace boss has praise for “popular” Tyrick Mitchell after left-back nets first Premier League goal

Roy Hodgson hailed the performance of Tyrick Michell after the 21-year-old left-back scored his first Premier League goal, and the winner, in Crystal Palace’s 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Mitchell has had a stop-start season, which has been disrupted by injuries. When he was back fit, he had to dislodge Patrick van Aanholt from the starting line-up.

But as the season draws to a close, Mitchell has established himself as the first choice left-back moving forward, with his performance against Aston Villa highlighting how crucial he will be to Palace in the future.

Mitchell picked up his first assist in the Premier League, whipping in an tantalising cross for Christian Benteke to bring the game level in the first half.

Mitchell’s magnificent afternoon was capped off when he turned home Palace’s winner in the 85th minute, scoring in unorthodox fashion with his chest to complete the comeback.

And Hodgson was full of praise for the academy graduate following the game. He said: “It was a fitting end to a very good performance from him.

“It was an excellent cross for Christian Benteke’s equaliser. He worked hard to defend under quite difficult circumstances during the first half, and then the second half, he continued the work, combined extremely well with Wilf and Eze down that left side.

“We created chances during regular intervals in the second half, and he was often a part of them – a great day for him.

“It’s a wonderful moment for a player whose future I think is very bright, and I’m hoping to see him go on to have a really good Premier League career.”

Mitchell’s goal sparked wild scenes from the limited number of the Palace contingency inside Selhurst Park, with Hodgson adding that the young defender received a “rousing round of applause” from his team-mates when he walked into the dressing room after the match.

Hodgson said: “He’s popular for the right reasons. He works hard, trains hard, always does his job, listens to what he’s being told and does what’s asked of him. He never shirks any aspects of the game – getting forward to support, running back, blocking crosses to defend.

“If you do it as well as he does, then you’re going to be a popular figure. He doesn’t buy popularity in any other way than by showing the players around him, ‘trust me, because with me in your team, I am going to help you win’.”