Richards praises ‘most underrated player in the Prem’

First-team

10 Nov 2025

Chris Richards believes Tyrick Mitchell’s performance against Brighton & Hove Albion showed the Palace left-back to be among the Premier League's very best.

Mitchell put in a man-of-the-match display to nullify the threat of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, who went into Sunday’s game with four goal contributions to his name already this season, but in truth barely threatened.

And with 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot – making his English league debut in place of the injured Marc Guéhi – slotting into the backline, Richards was full of praise for the defensive chemistry Palace displayed in the 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.

The defender told Premier League Productions: “I'm really happy with how everybody played today, not just offensively, but defensively too. Any time you can keep a clean sheet is always good.

“I think T's the most underrated player in the Prem for me! Of course, I’m a bit biased, but when you see him week in and week out, against some of the best players in the league, he always keeps them to the bare minimum.

“I think it's something that we've always seen from T. I'm happy that he got his flowers today for it.”

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We have a lot of captains in this team
—Chris Richards

Richards added on Canvot: “He was great. I think we have a lot of captains in this team, to be fair.

“We have a lot of leaders, a lot of people who can step up and today Jaydee stepped into Marc’s spot and did really well. You know, that left side was on fire today. T was amazing.”

On the game itself – in truth a stop-start contest, with little by way of clear chances – Richards said it was down to: “Two good teams going at it.

“You know, it's a derby for a reason, so I think it was a good result. I think both teams played really hard, but yeah, overall we’re pretty content.

“It felt like [a derby] today. There were a few tackles and yellow cards, but you know, we love it. We love it – we enjoy a fight!”

Whereas Canvot’s appearance was the Frenchman’s fourth in all competitions this season, Sunday’s marked Richards’ 16th already for club – not counting four friendlies for the United States – with only one of those coming for Palace as a substitute.

That comes as a result of Palace’s first-ever major European campaign in the UEFA Conference League, with Richards saying of the demand of such a busy fixture schedule: “It's more mental than physical, but it felt kind of physical today as well! I think they go hand in hand.

“During the week we have a lot of recovery that we've been doing. It’s not much time on the training pitch, so it's more video sessions than on-the-pitch sessions. But regardless, you know, we try to kick our feet up during the week and concentrate on the games in midweek and at the weekend.

“[We’re] very proud [of playing in Europe]. It's something that we were rewarded with for winning the FA Cup last year, so we're happy to play in that competition. Also, in the League Cup, we're doing well. We're in the next round.

“We take every game, every competition one at a time, but we're looking forward to what we have ahead of us.”

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