diff --git a/eth/catalyst/api.go b/eth/catalyst/api.go
index 91353ab03664..d4bbe2069ebc 100644
--- a/eth/catalyst/api.go
+++ b/eth/catalyst/api.go
@@ -147,16 +147,26 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) ForkchoiceUpdatedV1(update beacon.ForkchoiceStateV1, pa
 			return beacon.ForkChoiceResponse{PayloadStatus: beacon.INVALID_TERMINAL_BLOCK, PayloadID: nil}, nil
 		}
 	}
-
+	valid := func(id *beacon.PayloadID) beacon.ForkChoiceResponse {
+		return beacon.ForkChoiceResponse{
+			PayloadStatus: beacon.PayloadStatusV1{Status: beacon.VALID, LatestValidHash: &update.HeadBlockHash},
+			PayloadID:     id,
+		}
+	}
 	if rawdb.ReadCanonicalHash(api.eth.ChainDb(), block.NumberU64()) != update.HeadBlockHash {
 		// Block is not canonical, set head.
 		if latestValid, err := api.eth.BlockChain().SetCanonical(block); err != nil {
 			return beacon.ForkChoiceResponse{PayloadStatus: beacon.PayloadStatusV1{Status: beacon.INVALID, LatestValidHash: &latestValid}}, err
 		}
+	} else if api.eth.BlockChain().CurrentBlock().Hash() == update.HeadBlockHash {
+		// If the specified head matches with our local head, do nothing and keep
+		// generating the payload. It's a special corner case that a few slots are
+		// missing and we are requested to generate the payload in slot.
 	} else {
 		// If the head block is already in our canonical chain, the beacon client is
 		// probably resyncing. Ignore the update.
 		log.Info("Ignoring beacon update to old head", "number", block.NumberU64(), "hash", update.HeadBlockHash, "age", common.PrettyAge(time.Unix(int64(block.Time()), 0)), "have", api.eth.BlockChain().CurrentBlock().NumberU64())
+		return valid(nil), nil
 	}
 	api.eth.SetSynced()
 
@@ -190,12 +200,6 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) ForkchoiceUpdatedV1(update beacon.ForkchoiceStateV1, pa
 			return beacon.STATUS_INVALID, beacon.InvalidForkChoiceState.With(errors.New("safe block not in canonical chain"))
 		}
 	}
-	valid := func(id *beacon.PayloadID) beacon.ForkChoiceResponse {
-		return beacon.ForkChoiceResponse{
-			PayloadStatus: beacon.PayloadStatusV1{Status: beacon.VALID, LatestValidHash: &update.HeadBlockHash},
-			PayloadID:     id,
-		}
-	}
 	// If payload generation was requested, create a new block to be potentially
 	// sealed by the beacon client. The payload will be requested later, and we
 	// might replace it arbitrarily many times in between.
diff --git a/miner/miner.go b/miner/miner.go
index 16c3bf19d263..1e9607a76ad9 100644
--- a/miner/miner.go
+++ b/miner/miner.go
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ import (
 type Backend interface {
 	BlockChain() *core.BlockChain
 	TxPool() *core.TxPool
-	StateAtBlock(block *types.Block, reexec uint64, base *state.StateDB, checkLive bool, preferDisk bool) (statedb *state.StateDB, err error)
 }
 
 // Config is the configuration parameters of mining.
diff --git a/miner/worker.go b/miner/worker.go
index 7fab6c8f9210..f26094585f33 100644
--- a/miner/worker.go
+++ b/miner/worker.go
@@ -825,16 +825,6 @@ func (w *worker) makeEnv(parent *types.Block, header *types.Header, coinbase com
 	// Retrieve the parent state to execute on top and start a prefetcher for
 	// the miner to speed block sealing up a bit.
 	state, err := w.chain.StateAt(parent.Root())
-	if err != nil {
-		// Note since the sealing block can be created upon the arbitrary parent
-		// block, but the state of parent block may already be pruned, so the necessary
-		// state recovery is needed here in the future.
-		//
-		// The maximum acceptable reorg depth can be limited by the finalised block
-		// somehow. TODO(rjl493456442) fix the hard-coded number here later.
-		state, err = w.eth.StateAtBlock(parent, 1024, nil, false, false)
-		log.Warn("Recovered mining state", "root", parent.Root(), "err", err)
-	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}