6 talking points as Man Utd soar past Crystal Palace and Amrabat stars on debut
Manchester United eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory over a meek Crystal Palace.
Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial all scored within the first hour to put the contest to bed, allowing Erik ten Hag to further shuffle his pack after making seven changes from their Saturday's scrappy 1-0 win away to Burnley. United were dominant from the off, easily imposing themselves on Palace, who'll make exactly the same journey this weekend in the Premier League.
Here are six talking points from the Carabao Cup clash at Old Trafford.
1. Maguire snubbed as skipper
When it was announced in July that Harry Maguire would no longer be Manchester United's club captain, barely anyone was surprised. Finding himself as the fifth-choice centre-back, Erik ten Hag needed to officially give the responsibility to Bruno Fernandes, commonly the skipper last season.
But what did raise eyebrows was Maguire not being given the armband when Fernandes wasn't involved in this third-round clash, rested after playing every minute for club and country this season. Instead, centre-back partner Raphael Varane was given the captaincy in a clear illustration of how Ten Hag now views Maguire.
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Harry Maguire was still leading Manchester United's defence without the captain's armband (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)2. Henderson's agonising return
Dean Henderson had to be patient to leave United but even on his debut for Palace , he couldn't escape Old Trafford. Having completed a £20million transfer last month - his first permanent move since joining the Red Devils from boyhood club Carlisle aged 14 - the Euro 2024 hopeful was given his first start as an Eagles player back at his former home.
Unfortunately for Henderson, he never even got to make a save on his first appearance in nine months before trudging off with injury after just 16 minutes, unable to show United what they chose to miss by signing Andre Onana and backup Altay Bayindir this summer. The issue looked to be his thigh, having torn it in January and subsequent needing an operation which ruled him out until pre-season. No.1 goalkeeper Sam Johnstone came on in his place and his first job was to pick the ball out of his net.
Dean Henderson's debut for Crystal Palace lasted just 16 minutes (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)3. Palace's double sucker punch
United have made a habit of conceding goals in quick succession this season but this time they were scoring rapid-fire. Good play from Mason Mount, Facundo Pellistri and Diogo Dalot allowed the Red Devils right-back to speed down the right-hand side of the Palace penalty area and pull the ball back towards Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentina international, who like many of his team-mates has endured a slow start to the season, made no mistake to flash the ball past a helpless Johnstone, breaking the deadlock. Six minutes later, it was 2-0, as a crunching tackle from Chris Richards sent the ball for a corner and Casemiro rose highest to meet Mount's teasing delivery which Palace's should've done better to intercept.
Casemiro made it 2-0 Manchester United with a soaring header (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)4. Steady Sofyan
After his cameo at Burnley on Saturday, Erik ten Hag gave Sofyan Amrabat a proper opportunity to impress in front of his new fans. The Moroccan midfielder was once again deployed at left-back but thanks to Ten Hag's system, he was able to nudge inside and operate in his favourite areas, and he eventually stayed there once team-mate Mount came off at half-time.
Amrabat's lively performance until the 60-minute mark - giving a senior debut to Dan Gore - was welcomed by the Old Trafford faithful, giving supporters a glimpse of what he can offer while on loan at Fiorentina. At 27, he may not be United's long-term heir to Casemiro, but he could well prove to be a valued member of the squad in the years to come should his move be made permanent.
Have your say! Should Sofyan Amrabat start the next match for Manchester United? Let us know in the comments section.
Sofyan Amrabat made his first start for Manchester United since joining on loan from Fiorentina (Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)5. Mount makes it look easy
It's hard to say that United have missed Mason Mount given he was fairly anonymous in his first two appearances for the Red Devils, but on Tuesday he showed why Ten Hag was so keen to shell out £65million for his services. Mount was instrumental in United's first two goals, with the England international working well alongside Hannibal Mejbri in support of Anthony Martial.
Chelsea fans know all about his engine and that was on show, too, working hard to ensure that Casemiro wasn't as exposed as in previous games this term. Only until half-time, though, as Ten Hag subbed him off, presumably as a precaution.
6. Palace picked apart
While United were comfortably playing their best football of the campaign, it was weary frustration for fans for Roy Hodgson's side. When Anthony Martial made it 3-0 with a classy finish, it summed up how far Palace were off the Red Devils' level.
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Casemiro seemed to have all the time in the world to pick his pass and despite captain Marc Guehi entering the defence at half-time, the Eagles couldn't get close enough to Martial. It was all too easy for Ten Hag's men, who were regularly imposing themselves for the first time all season - even feeling confident enough to put Donny van de Beek on. Hodgson had turned to Will Hughes and Eberechi Eze from the bench, but it was too little too late for the visitors, who return to Old Trafford for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.
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