Speaking with Palace TV in a post-match interview, the Senegal international expressed his delight at 'finally' scoring and also revealed a minor discomfort which seemed to lead to him leaving the pitch in the 88th minute.
On the goal, Kouyate said: "I’m very happy for this goal. It’s a long time I’ve waited for this goal. All players, Jordan, Macca, tell me: ‘What day are you going to score?’ But before the game some players told me: ‘You’re going to score, you’re going to score.’ And finally I scored. Yes, I’m very happy for this goal.
"I didn’t want to celebrate because West Ham did everything for me when I was here in England. After the goal, I got the ball and said to Luka: ‘Yeah, we need to stay calm. Maybe the goal is going to come.’ It’s very, very good for us. Now, we celebrate and keep going because we have games with Southampton and Norwich.
"The second goal - Jordan’s goal - for me, this is the goal of the season. It was a very nice goal and I’m happy for him."
Turning his attention to a niggling injury, Kouyate explained: "I have a little bit of pain in my groin. For 10 days-two weeks, I’ve had a little bit of pain. But we need to keep going because the team needs me. I need to do everything for this team."
You can watch the full interview with Kouyate for free now on Palace TV. There are also post-match chats with Jordan Ayew and full match highlights will be available tonight. To watch, either click here or 'Palace TV' within the app!
