Ivory Coast international Simon Adingra scored twice on his return from the Africa Cup of Nations in a 5-0 Premier League win over ten-man Sheffield United on Sunday.

The game was effectively won midway through the first half, by which time Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck had both scored their fourth goals of the season against a United team who played with ten men from the 13th minute after Mason Holgate was sent off for an awful knee-high challenge on Kaoru Mitoma.

Albion kept total control in the second half and added further goals late on. Jack Robinson turned Mitoma’s cross into his own net – a deserved assist for the Japanese winger – before Adingra netted twice to take his tally for the season to seven. Just over 2800 Albion fans in the away end acclaimed the delighted Ivorian and a first away win in the league since November.

The Blades had been boosted by last week’s win at Luton and came flying out of the traps. Bart Verbruggen was called to make a fine save low to his right inside the first minute to keep out Jayden Bogle’s shot.

But Albion soon settled and the returning Adingra showed he was in the mood when he took a long ball from Adam Webster out of the sky with a wonderful touch.

His cross had Anel Ahmedhodzic struggling to clear and keeper Wes Foderingham scrambled the ball off the line with Welbeck ready to pounce.