Kaoru Mitoma had a quiet game at Crystal Palace last Saturday.

That is probably a fair assessment.

Even during the final few minutes, which had been his golden time in the two previous matches.

There was one notable scoring chance in the first half when he combined with Solly March to unlock the Palace defence.

Generally, though, it was the sort of occasion media and fans from Japan who turn up to follow him have not seen too often of late.

But, maybe, within that quiet 90 minutes, we were given a glimpse of why the winger is making his name in the Premier League.

His ability one-versus-one has been widely highlighted.

So too his direct running, his eye for goal.

But, even in his early and usually brief outings, another facet became clear.

That was his willingness to graft.

There were good examples very early of him working back out of possession.

So while it does not count as a goal involvement, while it did not even make the cut in some highlights edits, Mitoma DID play a part in Albion’s strike at Selhurst Park.

It is the sort of moment which goes un-noticed at first, second, third sight – but is no doubt spotted by coaches and playing colleagues.

It was Mitoma who won possession back ahead of Solly March’s opener.

Alexis Mac Allister had seen the ball taken away from him but, as Palace looked to keep control of possession, Mitoma closed down Nathaniel Clyne like a flash and nicked it away from his foot.

An untidy second or two followed, which Mitoma tidied up by poking a pass away from Michael Olise, allowing Mac Allister to restart the attack.

He then gave Olise and Clyne something to think about as space was created for Pervis Estupinan to whip in a devastating cross.

March duly applied the finishing touch.

Mitoma could be seen checking back to congratulate Estupinan on his assist as the celebrations kicked off in front of the away fans.

So not the headline-grabbing display from Mitoma this time but certainly a part played in what might easily have been the match-winning moment.

He actually had 64 touches of the ball at Palace, which was more than in any recent game except the 2-2 draw at Leicester (when he had 66).

Maybe that is just a reflection of how those matches progressed.

He only touched the ball 51 times against Bournemouth, 58 in the cup tie against Liverpool and 53 when the Reds were beaten 3-0 in the league.

Eyes will be on Mitoma again tomorrow when Albion return to the Amex to meet Fulham.

It feels a long time since the Seagulls went down to defeat at Craven Cottage.

That was back in the days when Mitoma barely got a look in.

While Graham Potter saw something in him as an impact sub, it is very fair to say Roberto De Zerbi has really unlocked his potential.

That has been reflected in media attention from back home.

In the last fortnight, I have given four television interviews with Japanese outlets about their star man, on top of helping with a couple of written pieces.

So what are they asking?

A lot of it has been whether we are surprised by Mitoma’s progress this season.

There is great interest in what Albion fans make of him.

A usual reply to this has been that, of course, the Seagulls faithful love the man down the left wing.

That they took to him very quickly. Even when he was hardly playing.

Back in Japan, they do not know about his song, the reworking of that previously used to honour Yves Bissouma.

A four-man crew from a Japanese TV/streaming service sat in the back row of the West Upper and loved hearing that chorus booming out around them after his late winner versus Bournemouth.

All those asking me questions have been delighted to hear about the growing Japanese following in the stands, home and away.

And that longer-term Albion fans have welcomed those newcomers with open arms.

There are questions about his relationship with the local media.

For now, that is limited due to the language.

In a sit-down session ahead of the World Cup, he came across as helpful, polite and quite shy.

Of course I am asked about a possible move. Where would he go? How much is he worth?

Those are hard questions to answer but it is pointed out there was surprisingly little talk about him in the January window.

That will no doubt change in the summer if he maintains the form he has shown so far.

But those questions have been almost in passing. Not the main focus.

There appears to be a degree of surprise at how rapidly Mitoma has become a big Prem star.

And then comes perhaps the hardest question. (It is usually near the end).

What is his Mitoma’s main quality?

The obvious answer is pace. You need that in the Premier League.

But is that fair? What about the ability to keep defenders guessing?

His finishing rates highly, albeit with room for improvement.

The fact he has scored two soaring headers underlines a versatility to be admired.

In the end, that one chief quality is perhaps summed up in attitude and work ethic.

It won’t be what fans turn up wanting to see tomorrow.

But some graft helped Albion score at Selhurst Park and will underpin one of the stories of the season – from Falmer to Tokyo.