For Leicester City boss Steve Cooper, it was a genuine moment of top-class quality which set Manchester United on their way to a 5-2 EFL Cup thrashing at Old Trafford.
If Erik ten Hag was tuning in somewhere back home in the Netherlands, the former Manchester United boss could have been forgiven for wondering where this sort of finishing had been during his nightmare final few weeks at the helm.
Because, just three days after Man United missed close-range chance after close-range against in defeat to West Ham, Casemiro managed to locate the top corner of the Leicester City net with a 30-yard blockbuster.
The type of bolt-from-the-blue brilliance Ten Hag could hardly have imagined even in his wildest dreams.
During what was comfortably Casemiro’s most impressive performance of Man United’s campaign, the Brazilian’s thumping opener set United on their way to four goals in the space of just 24 first-half minutes.
Leicester coach rues Casemiro brilliance in Manchester United win
Visiting boss Steve Cooper was keen to play the context card at full-time.
The former Nottingham Forest and Swansea City coach insists that, while the scoreline may paint the picture of a dominant Man United victory, there was an element of fortune during a magnificent night of positives and stand-out performances for interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“Anybody that wasn’t here tonight will see the scoreline and think it was a dominant, straightforward, comfortable result for United. But it was everything but that,” Cooper protests, accepting that Casemiro’s effort was a moment of world-class quality while arguing that Alejandro Garnacho’s finish from a Diogo Dalot cross should have been ruled out for offside.
“Okay, it was 5-2, and we conceded five goals. But there were circumstances around each goal. It was a brilliant strike from Casemiro. A really poor linesman’s decision for the second goal.”
After Bilal El Khannouss halved the deficit, Man United hit four goals for the first time in the opening 45 minutes of a match since the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era.
Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick fizzed off Jordan Ayew’s head and into the middle of the Leicester net, while Casemiro lashed home his second after his initial effort had rebounded off both posts.
Fernandes then lathered a root-canal inducing layer of icing on top of a very tasty cake as he took full advantage of a disastrous Leicester pass-back.
Steve Cooper feels Foxes gifted United EFL Cup victory
“The third and fourth were ricochets that haven’t gone where we wanted them to go, and we have to take responsibility that we could have done better on that as well. And then a giveaway for the fifth goal,” Cooper sighs.
“In terms of how the game went, it was typified by the start of the second-half to the fifth goal. We were completely dominant. I don’t think United entered our half and then we give away a goal like we did.
“What we’ve done is hand United too many moments to cause damage. That’s something we have to take responsibility for.
“It’s strange to analyse. We’ll own the result and some of the goals. But in terms of the general game, I looked at some of the guys in the dressing room and thought: ‘You’ve done alright tonight.’ It’s turned into frustration and anger really but we need to turn it into motivation for the weekend.”
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