Manchester United thrashed Leicester City in a seven-goal thriller to progress to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge of his first (and potentially last) Man United game.
He saw his side scoring four times in the first half, courtesy of goals from Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.
Leicester attempted a comeback but Fernandes netted in the second half to ensure United’s qualification for the next round.
Speaking after the game, Van Nistelrooy lauded Casemiro for being an ‘example’ in the team.
He said (via Steven Railston): “I was delighted for Casemiro, the way he’s been training and helping the team, the club, it’s such an example.
“I’m delighted to have him around and going through difficult moments… He got a lot of criticism after the Liverpool game.”
Casemiro had a brilliant outing and led the side from the front.
He looked re-energised against West Ham United on Sunday and took his performance one step above tonight.
A clever dummy from Fernandes allowed Casemiro some space to fire a shot.
He launched a glorious strike from 30 yards to find the top corner. It was a stunning shot and one that was needed to lift the spirits at Old Trafford.
The midfielder added another to his goal tally with a close-range finish after his own header came back off the post.
He came tantalisingly close to bagging his hat-trick twice but failed to hit the target.
He also impressed with his top-level ball distribution. The Brazil international sent a ball over Diogo Dalot’s head in the build-up to Garnacho’s strike.
The 32-year-old shined defensively as well by making two tackles and blocking three shots.
Casemiro has faced heavy criticism after his horror display against Liverpool but Van Nistelrooy’s praise speaks volumes about his character.
Stats from Sofascore.com
