Chelsea midfielder hailed for his performance against Crystal Palace

Nigeria international John Obi Mikel has received praises from many quarters for his display in Chelsea's 3-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Guus Hiddink surprisingly picked Mikel ahead of Nemanja Matic in Chelsea's starting 11 and the 28-year-old was in imperious form for the Blues.

The midfielder was in top form in midfielder as he formed a formidable screen in front of the Chelsea defence.

He got everything right on the afternoon, from his tackles to interceptions, blocks, his clearance and ball recovery.

78 of his 82 passes during the game found his teammate as Mikel helped in ball distribution aided by Cesc Fabregas who had his best game for Chelsea this season.

His performance drew praises from Chelsea supporters who sang his name during the game.

"It's nice to see that," he told Sky Sports afterwards. "It was great."

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said Mikel had his best game for a while against Palace.

"I don't think I've ever seen John Obi Mikel play so well," said Souness. "He bossed that area."

Hiddink spoke very well of Mikel's performance and credited him for bringing balance to Chelsea.

"He played very well but also in the previous game," said Hiddink.

"He's the ideal player in my option to bring balance to the team. If the team is not willing to defend well, or hasn't got the right balance, then you'll concede a lot of goals. I think John Obi can be one of the key figures in bringing back that balance.

"On this podium very talented players can explore their qualities. He reads the game very well, he knows where the strength of the opponent is and knows how to combat that. He has very good sense, he doesn't do it in a brutal way, he's very elegant. Someone who can defend so smoothly is very beautiful."

It is also important to note that Mikel has always played well under Hiddink.

In the Dutch coach's first stint at Chelsea in 2009, Mikel started 16 of the Hiddink's 23 matches in charge.

Chelsea won 14 of them, including the FA Cup final, and drew the other two. As a result, Mikel remains unbeaten under Hiddink.

Mikel obi himself is feeling better under Hiddink. Speaking after the win against Crystal Palace, he said "the atmosphere has changed a bit and the players are more relaxed," he explained in his post-match interview."