Danny Welbeck said he is thrilled to be scoring goals again after a "horrible" injury layoff, with the Arsenal forward netting a brace in his first start of the season at Southampton on Saturday.
Welbeck, who had knee surgery in May, put Arsenal on their way to a 5-0 victory at St Mary's in the fourth round of the FA Cup by scoring twice in the opening 22 minutes. He then set up Theo Walcott for his first of three goals against an under-strength Southampton side.
"It was obviously good to back out on the pitch after such a long time. It's been a horrible few months," Welbeck told BT Sport. "It was great to be back out there scoring goals and doing what I love doing."
Welbeck also had to endure a nine-month layoff the previous season after another long-term knee injury, and said that experience helped him come back this time.
"I think because I had the experience before of coming back from an injury you kind of know what to expect. Even though it's tough times," Welbeck said.
"But the end game is to be back out on the pitch and playing in the first team. And I got that opportunity today and I'm just looking forward to the opportunity of doing it many more times."
Arsenal's strong start helped them overcome the absence of Arsene Wenger on the touchline as the Frenchman started serving a four-match touchline ban for pushing the fourth official during last weekend's Premier League win over Burnley.
Wenger watched the game from the stands and paid tribute to Welbeck's mental resilience after the game.
"He was very sharp because he worked very hard. Danny comes back from a long way out, and I think he's gone through some very difficult moments mentally," Wenger said. "And overall I believe his resilience was absolutely marvellous after the first [phase] of disappointment, and he's rewarded tonight. So we are all happy."
Wenger did not want to comment on whether his punishment by the Football Association was fair, but agreed that Arsenal's performance made for good viewing from the stands.
"I do not want to judge the judges. I said I have to get on with it, and that's what I want to do and not talk about it anymore," he said. "When you score goals it looks good from everywhere.
"But overall I think it was good to watch because we had a good game -- dynamic, very explosive as well and always very dangerous and in control. I've spent so much time on the bench that physically it's difficult to be that far away. But when the team wins that's the most important."
Walcott also paid tribute to Welbeck, saying "he's come back with an absolute bang," and added the team did not miss Wenger that much on the touchline.
"It's obviously important for the manager to be there. But he was in the dressing room telling us what to do before and after the game, and during half-time," Walcott said. "But we know our jobs, and we've been in the game for a long time. We have so much experience in this team so we know what to do."
Walcott added that he enjoyed being back and scoring against his former club Southampton.
"It's not payback at all," he said. "It's been so long [since I left], I've had some great memories here and Southampton will always be in my heart without a doubt. I enjoyed playing football here at the time and obviously, I've enjoyed tonight -- the guys did fantastic. We wanted to get the win today and we did that.''
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.