Holders Manchester United booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup following a routine 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening, with the Red Devils producing arguably their most convincing performance of the season so far against Roy Hodgson's men.
Fresh from securing a narrow win over Burnley at the weekend, a much-changed United side maintained that momentum after strolling past the Eagles last night, with Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho netting for the first time this season, either side of a perfectly placed header from leading goalscorer, Casemiro.
How did Casemiro perform against Crystal Palace?
Now into his second season in English football, much of the talk had been that the Brazilian looked to be on the decline following a dismal start to the campaign, with club legend Gary Neville notably describing the midfield as looking "non-existent" following the 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend.
Such doubts were quashed emphatically against the Selhurst Park outfit, however, with the 31-year-old having been the "conductor" in the centre of the park for United, as per The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell, after pulling the strings throughout yesterday's contest.
As per fellow journalist, Carl Anka, the experienced maestro looks to have "shaken off that early season ring rust" having been central to all that was good about the hosts against the Eagles, notably netting his fourth goal of the season midway through the first-half.
The former Real Madrid man also teed up Martial for his side's third goal of the day with an exquisite whipped cross, with that coming as part of a performance which saw the five-time Champions League winner regularly look to find those ahead of him, as he completed ten of his 14 long passes.
Such a complete performance from the dominant gem saw Casemiro earn a standout match rating of 8.9, as per Sofascore, with only teammate Diogo Dalot – who was awarded an 8.3 match rating – having come close to matching that feat for either side.
How did Diogo Dalot play against Palace?
Despite Erik ten Hag having been forced to name something of a makeshift backline – with full debutant Sofyan Amrabat lining up at left-back – the home side were hardly ever threatened by the visitors, in truth, as United comfortably strolled to victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Red Devils' dominance allowed the likes of Dalot to impact proceedings in the final third as the Portugal international notably played a crucial role in the game's opening goal, teeing up Alejandro Garnacho with a clever, reverse pass inside the area.
That perfect pick-out came amid the 24-year-old's desire to stay high up the pitch in order to support the likes of Facundo Pellistri down the right flank, having recorded two key passes in total from his 101 touches, while also completing two of his three attempted dribbles. Even if he did cede possession 17 times, it was a market of his desire to make something happen.
Not only a real outlet in attack, the former Porto man also hardly gave an inch to opposition winger, Jordan Ayew after winning seven of his ten ground duels, having simply been "unreal" in his full-back berth, as per content creator, Alice Abrahams.
In what was the £85k-per-week sensation's 'best performance for United this calendar year', as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, Dalot showcased the great strides he has made since playing second fiddle to Aaron Wan-Bissaka under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as he memorably spent the 2020/21 campaign out on loan at AC Milan.
Now a firm fixture under Ten Hag, the versatile asset – who can also feature at left-back – looks like a figure who can be relied upon for the foreseeable future in Manchester, as too can Casemiro.