5 talking points as Manchester United book place in Carabao Cup round four vs Crystal Palace

Manchester United cruised through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after defeating Crystal Palace 3-0 at Old Trafford.

With Erik ten Hag fielding a rotated side in the first fixture of his Carabao Cup title defence, Manchester United opened the scoring quickly as Alejandro Garnacho slotted in Diogo Dalot’s low cutback.

Casemiro soon made it two, nodding in Mason Mount‘s corner cross with a fine header to hand United a comfortable lead going into the break.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Crystal Palace (Carabao Cup)

In the second half, it was Casemiro’s turn to play creator, finding Anthony Martial with a perfect forward cross-field ball for the Frenchman to guide in for United’s third of the night and sending the team into the pot for the fourth round of the competition.

#1 – Mount’s good first minutes back

Mason Mount recorded his first assist of the season during his first minutes back from injury.

Mount has not kicked a ball for United since their 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in August but was granted his first appearance since his injury as United defeated Crystal Palace.

Mount played a central role in the absence of Bruno Fernandes during the first half, and whipped in a lovely corner for Casemiro to nod in his fourth goal of the season, and overall had an impressive first 45 minutes back on the grass.

#2 – Casemiro is… top scorer?

Casemiro, as mentioned above, scored United’s second goal of the night, which was also his fourth goal of the season – he also provided a fantastic assist for Anthony Martial, who scored the third goal of the night.

He is currently United’s top scorer this campaign and despite his sub-par performances at points so far this season, he impressed against Crystal Palace.

The addition of Sofyan Amrabat, who also had a notably positive performance in his first start for the club, will do a lot to aid Casemiro at the defensive base of the midfield.

#3 – Amrabat shows what is in store

On the subject of Sofyan Amrabat, he initially filled in at left-back after it was revealed that Sergio Reguilón was not in the squad to face Palace, and he showed his technical and tactical basics.

In a squad that contains some players who often forget about the basics, Amrabat will offer this squad a calm presence in the middle of the part – his roles at both left-back and defensive midfield today are also a testament to his versatility and high stamina levels.

#4 – Anthony Martial has his say

Across the last two seasons, Martial has not been the player that United hoped when the club signed him for £36 million in 2015.

Against Palace, however, Martial was able to get his scoring season underway and show that he is still capable of finding the net, which will certainly come in handy for what will be a long and full season for The Reds.

With Rasmus Højlund still young and in need of time to develop, Martial scoring goals would add a perfect new dynamic for Ten Hag and his front line.

#5 – Maguire takes his chance

Harry Maguire was gifted his first start of the season by Ten Hag against Palace, and he did not put a foot wrong.

In a time when United are suffering from problems relating to their centre-backs, and with Lisandro Martínez still feeling the effects of his ankle injury last season, Maguire took his chance perfectly.

After initially receiving much backlash for refusing to leave the club, the next few months could prove Maguire’s decision right if he can have a run of good form across competitions.