West Brom may have only finished Saturday’s EFL Championship game with 30% possession, but that’s all they needed after two early Daryl Dike goals vs Middlesbrough was enough for a 2-0 victory.
Dike’s pair of goals came just two minutes apart as he bested fellow American goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 8th and 10th minute.
Daryl Dike goals vs Middlesbrough
The first goal for Dike came at the end of a great sequence of passes from West Brom. His darting run into the middle gave him enough space to slip the ball past Steffen.
Daryl Dike first goal vs. Middlesbrough pic.twitter.com/CWTrulLgSI
— americanwigends (@americanwigends) February 25, 2023
Moments later Dike was in again and Steffen made a mess of things. Dike’s initial shot was saved, but Steffen spilled the rebound which the Oklahoma native pounced on.
2nd goal of the game for Daryl Dike vs. Steffen pic.twitter.com/vQw83TGU7g
— americanwigends (@americanwigends) February 25, 2023
A resilient performance from the squad! Man do I love this feeling!⚽️ #wba pic.twitter.com/gEi3H0fu54
— Daryl Dike (@DarylDike) February 25, 2023
LOOK AT WHAT IT MEANS FOR HIM
USMNT’s Daryl Dike currently has a brace against Middlesbrough with Zack Steffen between the posts ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/gnVnoWjpDm— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) February 25, 2023
This was Dike’s first multi-goal club game since April 5, 2021, when he was on loan with Barnsley and got a brace against Luton Town.
Injuries saw Dike miss out on almost all the 2021-22 season and the first half of the current campaign. Saturday’s brace put his season stats at six goals in 18 appearances.
More goal production like this could see him creep back into the USMNT striker conversation.
As for West Brom, the three points ends a three-game winless streak in the league. The Baggies sit 10th with 48 points but are only five points away from sixth. (The teams that finish 3-6 play in the EFL Championship playoffs for the final promotion spot to the Premier League.)
Steffen and Middlesbrough remain third in the EFL Championship on 57 points with Sheffield United in second at 64 points and Blackburn Rovers in fourth with 55 points.
