West Brom boss Carlos Corberan saluted the returning Daryl Dike after the striker ended his eight-month injury nightmare.
The United States international, out since April with a serious Achilles injury, scored as the Baggies cruised past Aldershot 4-1 in the FA Cup third round.
First-half goals from Nathaniel Chalobah Jovan Malcolm also made it a Sunday stroll for the hosts before Tom Fellows’ late fourth and Ollie Bray’s consolation.
It was a perfect comeback for Dike as he looks to finally shake off the injury issues which have restricted him to just 28 appearances in two years.
A hamstring injury on his full debut in January 2022 sidelined him for six months and a thigh problem at the start of last season kept the 23-year-old out for three months.
Corberan said: “The way he celebrated the goal says many things about how much he has been suffering, how important it was to score, how important he is for us in the the dressing room.
“Afterwards, the players gave him a big round of applause. They were celebrating he has come back with the group and scored the goal because eight months out, managing the injury, is difficult especially for him after suffering injuries.
“To come back was an important step for us. It’s a massive step. We need to keep working on his adaptation to football again, hopefully we can keep growing in the process.
“To achieve something in the Championship you need to not have a lot of injuries. To have Dike as striker is always a positive.”
There was never any suggestion of a third-round upset as the Baggies raced into a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes.
Chalobah hooked in Fellows’ cross after seven minutes before Malcolm seized on Cian Harries’ slip to add a second.
Dike got his goal after 27 minutes, taking advantage of more sloppy defending, to fire in from 10 yards and wrap the game up before half time.
The second half was a procession, with Kyle Bartley lobbing onto the roof of the net from halfway and Fenton Heard shooting over.
Aldershot offered little in response although Lorent Tolaj tested Josh Griffiths from distance.
Layton Love blazed over after being sent clean through but Fellows added a fourth with two minutes left when he cut inside and fired in off the post.
Bray netted a consolation in the fifth minute of injury time to leave boss Tommy Widdrington proud.
He said: “It was a nice way to end, our fans were on the up. We shot ourselves in the foot for two goals, standing on the ball at one stage and then missing a corner and it hitting someone in the face.
“They had a lot of the ball in the first half but didn’t have a lot of efforts. I thought we showed them a bit too much respect in the first half.
“I’ve got no qualms about the result they are a class act and Carlos is a top person.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Man Utd have reached an agreement to sign Byran Mbeumo Who do you think will get there first? Who do you think will get there first? (Part 2) lol Man Utd know what they need this summer Joao Pedro vs Havertz Arne Slot and Alexander Isak spotted at Coldplay concert… Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, Bleac...
Multiple sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Chelsea recently held "new talks" with Eze's camp, after also speaking with the player last summer.Chelsea didn't advance their pursuit of Eze on that occasion, but it now seems the Blues have expressed a clear intent to rival Arsenal for him in this transfer window.Our source told us: "Chelsea recently held new talks with th...
Grealish, 29, looks set for a move away from the Etihad this summer after struggling for minutes last season.Jack Grealish has reportedly agreed to train away from the rest of the Man City teamThe winger has been unable to tie down a place as a regular starter under Pep Guardiola in recent seasons and started just seven Premier League games last term.While Guardiola chose to leave Grealish out of ...
The Reds are open to selling Nunez, but are sticking to their asking price of €70m, sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside.Nunez has struggled to find his best form at Liverpool, but he's not been short of suitors this summer as clubs still view him as someone with the potential to succeed outside of the Premier League.Sources have confirmed to CaughtOffside that the "str...
Man City approach Burnley over goalkeeper TraffordManchester City have reportedly made formal contact with Burnley to discuss the potential return of their former academy graduate James Trafford. The 22-year-old goalkeeper, currently at Turf Moor, is the subject of renewed interest from his boyhood club just two years after being sold.West Ham could offload Alvarez this summerLess than a year befo...
Al Ain FC v Juventus FC: Group G - FIFA Club World Cup 2025The veteran keeper, who won Euro 2016 with Portugal, has played for Sporting CP, AS Roma, Wolverhampton, Atalanta, and Al AinAl Ain FC v Juventus FC: Group G - FIFA Club World Cup 2025WHAT HAPPENED?After missing out on Keylor Navas, Pumas UNAM are turning their attention to veteran Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who famously helped Po...
FBL-EUR-C4-REAL BETIS-CHELSEANoni Madueke has revealed he wants to "win it all" and help Arsenal "take that next step" to silverware. The Gunners shelled out £52 million (€60m/$69.9m) for the winger, who has signed a five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium. The transfer was finalised on Friday, sending a clear message about the Gunners' ambitions for the upcoming season.WHAT HAPPENED...
Erling Haaland Manchester City 2025Fans have called for Erling Haaland to move to Serie A after he professed his love for Italy in a post on social media while on a summer break in Rome.WHAT HAPPENED?In a post uploaded to Instagram, Haaland confessed he loves Italy and praised the beauty of Rome, where he has recently spent time on holiday with girlfriend Isabel Johansen. The Norwegian pair were s...
Chelsea FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier LeagueChelsea have unveiled their latest group of first-year scholars for the 2025-26 campaign and among the standout names are Reggie Walsh and Isago Silva, the son of veteran defender Thiago Silva. In total, 16 academy players have committed to the next stage of their football development at the west London outfit, reaffirming the club’s ongoing commi...
Erik ten Hag Bayer Leverkusen 2025Bayer Leverkusen endured the nightmare start to Erik ten Hag's reign as his first game in charge ended in a shocking 5-1 defeat.WHAT HAPPENED?Leverkusen were put to the sword by Brazilian club Flamengo's youth side in a humiliating start to former United manager Ten Hag's time at the Bundesliga club. The German giants largely fielded a second-string team but stars...
- 1 Brooklyn Beckham's ex inspires Palmer as Chelsea crush PSG
- 2 Spurs get huge lift in Morgan Gibbs-White row
- 3 Model skips Lamine Yamal's party over 'weird demands'
- 4 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 5 Jude Bellingham finally undergoes surgery on recurrent dislocated shoulder injury as Real Madrid confirm successful procedure for England star ahead of long layoff
- 6 Noni Madueke parties at Wireless with Jadon Sancho
- 7 Chelsea's wage offer to Jadon Sancho revealed
- 8 Xabi Alonso sends warning to Real Madrid stars after PSG thrashing
- 9 Chelsea star’s stunning model Wag captured 'best UFO footage ever'
- 10 Javier Tebas offers reason behind Barcelona's failed Nico Williams pursuit