Erik ten Hag required a stress-free night with no injuries for Manchester United. The Carabao Cup is something he can thank the football gods for.
“I’m confident that the possibility of a different team playing on Tuesday night will draw criticism. Is the Premier League more significant than the Carabao Cup to a team like Crystal Palace? Regrettably, it is.
In the days leading up to their Carabao Cup match at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Roy Hodgson, the manager of Crystal Palace, had this to say.
Erik ten Hag, who is known to take the Carabao Cup very seriously, must have found this to be music to his ears. The Dutchman fielded strong teams in the competition last season from the opening rounds; his choice to start key players right away against Aston Villa was vindicated because the Red Devils won the match. Later on, that bank credit might turn out to be of great use.
With the trip to Old Trafford, Hodgson was able to offer starts to Dean Henderson, Rob Holding, Nathaniel Clyne, Chris Richards, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Jairo Riedewald. Ten Hag was also able to give Sofyan Amrabat a full debut, albeit his starting position prompted some concerns.
On paper, Amrabat was lined up at left-back next to Harry Maguire, with Mason Mount and Alejandro Garnacho ahead of him. Was Ten Hag trying out the trendy inverted left-back? Was he desperate to find a role for Amrabat? Or is he actually a left-back?
Any which way, he got some important minutes in the bank, which was big for Ten Hag, whose team approached the game strongly and dominated from the very start, as they should have done. It wasn’t just the performance that will make the United boss happy on a night full of positives, which is not something we have said in a long, long time.
Amrabat and Raphael Varane got an hour after both came on late at Burnley on Saturday, Anthony Martial got a chance to lead the line and scored, Facundo Pellistri showed that he is a more than viable option on the right, Harry Maguire had a solid game, Donny van de Beek got some minutes at the end, and massively, Mason Mount made his return from injury, playing the first half.
Amrabat cruised it on the ball and looked in good shape physically, even if he wasn’t fully tested on a very comfortable evening for the Red Devils. Perhaps his existence gave Casemiro a kick up the backside as well, because that performance was comfortably his best of the season.
It has been a difficult start to the campaign for the Brazilian and his wonderful header and even better assist in a terrific all-around performance is a very good sign. Hopefully for Ten Hag’s sake, he can kick on and return to the form he showed last season.
Casemiro’s performance was one of several positives for a club riddled with negatives. Injuries have greatly hindered United’s chances of starting the season well, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia’s absences seeing Ten Hag sign Tottenham outcast Sergio Reguilon on an emergency loan.
Getting through the game against Palace with no new injury concerns was almost as important as a good performance on the pitch. Ten Hag got both, with those who have been struggling to stay fit impressing in the minutes they were given.
Of course, Hodgson’s team selection presented the opportunity for a productive evening, but given the Red Devils’ luck in recent months, it would not have been a surprise to see a scrappy penalty shootout win with an Amrabat and Mount injury to boot. It is time to use this momentum to get their season up and running.
As for Crystal Palace, their priority is clearly the Premier League; Hodgson has literally admitted that. This defeat will not define the Eagles’ season, although the fans would have loved a nice cup run, even if they knew a trip to Old Trafford was far from a dream draw.
If only Manchester United could play in the Carabao Cup against a club with their priorities elsewhere every week, eh?
