Albion new-boy Somen Tchoyi was today tipped for a bright Baggies future after thrilling fans on his full debut.

Tchoyi landed the Man of the Match award in last night’s 2-1 Carling Cup win over Manchester City with some surging wing play.

First-team coach Michael Appleton believes the Cameroon international – a £1.5million summer signing from Red Bull Salzburg – can make a real impact once he gets to grips with English football.

Appleton said: “He was outstanding at times last night. You’ve got to give him a free rein and a licence to go and roam and be free.”

“I think if we can just manage his play out of possession and get him in the right areas, he could be a great acquisition for the club.”

Tchoyi’s display helped a much-changed Albion battle back from a 1-0 half-time deficit to claim a place in the last 16.

A beaming Appleton said: “We’re delighted. It gets us into the hat for the next round but more importantly the performance was outstanding.

“We started a little bit slowly in the first 10 minutes but after that we controlled most of the game.

“We came under a bit of pressure in the last 10 minutes, which you expect from a quality team.

“It was a little bit frustrating to go behind but at half-time we just tried to concentrate on the positives.

“We created five or six decent opportunities and came up against a fantastic goalkeeper Shay Given who was determined to keep a clean sheet.

“But we said at half-time the next goal was going to be crucial and luckily enough we got it.

“I thought we took the game to them again from there.”

Appleton believes several of last night’s starters gave boss Roberto Di Matteo food for thought ahead of Saturday’s trip to Arsenal.

He said: “A lot of people have had good performances last night but obviously a lot of players had fantastic performances on Saturday as well.

“We’re under no illusions it’s going to be tough at Arsenal. We’re well aware of what’s happened to the last two or three teams that have gone there.

“We expect to defend really well at times – but who knows?

“If we can keep our shape and organisation, you never know what can happen.”