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Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is happy with Jordan Ayew's development and maturity after the Ghana international gave them the derby win at Brighton on Saturday. 

Although Ayew is the club's top scorer with eight goals, Hodgson is vociferous about the other aspects of his game even if he's not on the scoresheet.

''He’s scored a large proportion of our goals and he’s still contributing to the team in so many other ways,'' he said.

''His contribution without goals is enormous. That work rate, that desire, that constant thorn in the opposing team’s defence. And also when we lose the ball, he’s so quick to get back in position and help us out defensively which is something you need and it’s contributed to our last two clean sheets.''

Hodgson added: ''We knew what he is, we knew what he could do. But of course last year he didn’t score many goals, and that was something that bothered him and was a factor for us.

“Are we going to get the goals out of him that we need? And that’s what he’s started to do this year.''