Casemiro made a significant impact by scoring a goal and assisting another as defending Carabao Cup champions Manchester United comfortably advanced to the fourth round with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
Manager Erik ten Hag opted for a substantially altered lineup compared to Saturday’s Premier League triumph over Burnley. However, Manchester United maintained control throughout the match. Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring in the 21st minute, followed by Casemiro heading in a corner from the returning Mason Mount six minutes later.
Casemiro turned provider for the third goal, providing an exquisite cross that Anthony Martial skillfully dispatched 10 minutes into the second half. This victory uplifted the spirits of the Old Trafford faithful after a challenging start to the season.
Crystal Palace, also fielding a significantly changed squad, only began to pose a threat after the introduction of Eberechi Eze in the second half, but by then, it was too late. This result marked consecutive wins for Manchester United as they seek to regain their footing in the campaign.
Manchester United’s dominance was evident from the outset. Sofyan Amrabat, making his full debut as a makeshift left-back, tucked inside to ensure that Palace were outnumbered and outperformed in midfield.
The opening goal came when Mount sent a precise pass to Facundo Pellistri, whose lay-off allowed Diogo Dalot to pull the ball back for Garnacho. The young striker fired a low shot past Palace’s debutant goalkeeper, Rob Holding.
Palace had already lost another debutant, Dean Henderson, to injury, and he was replaced by Sam Johnstone. The Eagles’ evening took another hit when Casemiro easily outmuscled Jeffrey Schlupp to head the ball into the far corner from Mount’s outswinging delivery.
Mount, who had been sidelined with a thigh injury since August, was substituted at halftime after an encouraging return. However, Manchester United continued to dominate in the second half.
They extended their lead when Amrabat’s attempted cross was deflected, and Casemiro found Martial, who produced an excellent first-time finish from a tight angle.
Palace finally mustered their first shot on goal in the 67th minute when Nathaniel Clyne’s long-range effort sailed over the bar. They came closer to scoring through Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, but both were denied by the alert Andre Onana.
Meanwhile, Manchester United continued to threaten, with substitute Jonny Evans forcing a reflex save from Johnstone from a corner, and Victor Lindelof and Garnacho also testing the Palace goalkeeper late in the game.
In the end, Manchester United’s three goals were more than enough to secure the victory, lifting the mood around the club and allowing Ten Hag to plan for another successful Carabao Cup campaign.
