Manchester United players rushed to him when they went ahead and Erik ten Hag embraced him at full-time. No, not Cristiano Ronaldo; Casemiro.
It was Casemiro who leaped like Ronaldo to outjump Amadou Onana when United were confined to their own penalty area in the 95th minute. James Garner, the penny in the arcade pushed over the edge by Casemiro, stirred Everton in the dying embers and connected with the loose ball that was diligently blocked by Marcus Rashford.
Frank Lampard expressed his admiration for Casemiro at full-time, another midfield heavyweight to do so after Roy Keane's warm greeting at Old Trafford.
Also read: Ten Hag gives verdict on Casemiro performance
Casemiro radiates awe. Other than Ronaldo, he generated the loudest appreciation from the assembled supporters as United players strolled to the team coach after his debut at Southampton in August.
In the dressing room at Carrington, Casemiro has already established himself as a leader who radiates a "quiet authority", according to one well-placed source. He immediately commanded respect.
His presence does not reassure everyone. A friend in the away end of the Bullens Stand messaged prior to kick-off, "That midfield has the mobility of Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger!!"
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen is an older combination than Louis van Gaal's risk-aversive midfielders. Both are aged 30, with Eriksen only nine days older than Casemiro, and an acronym nickname akin to those favoured by the Madrid sports dailies is unlikely to catch on. CC are hardly a carbon copy.
Pitting Casemiro and Eriksen against an athletic midfield trio of Onana, Idrissa Gueye and Alex Iwobi had an element of risk yet United were always bound to have more of the ball and that had to inform Ten Hag's selection of Casemiro in his first Premier League start.
It is churlish to compare Casemiro and Scott McTominay and a glaring difference is the former's ability on the ball. His piercing pass for Ronaldo is a skill that is beyond the bustling McTominay.
Casemiro's swansong for Real Madrid in the Champions League final highlighted his distributive prowess and United have two defensive-minded South Americans in Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez with the ability to break the lines.
As Lucy Ward noted on co-commentary at Everton, Casemiro's "first thought is forward". Rewatch his assist for Ronaldo and Casemiro has to tease the ball past Onana's boot to find Ronaldo. The pace is measured faultlessly.
Overhit it and Ronaldo is forced wide and the one-on-one is gone. Play it too straight and Conor Coady almost certainly chases down the loose ball. It was also a first-time pass. One touch to win it and one touch to play it. Two seconds. Defence to attack.
It originated from a careless Casemiro pass before he maintained his position and pick-pocketed Iwobi. Onana did that to Casemiro in the fifth minute and Iwobi scored ruthlessly. It is a mark of quality when a player recovers from erring in the same game.
Ten Hag took 48 days to list Casemiro in the starting section of a Premier League teamsheet and appeared to tire of another question about the Brazilian at Goodison Park.
"Yeah, difficult, I don't know," Ten Hag began when asked about Casemiro's start to the game. "The day he came, I repeat myself - I have told this story several times - so I don't know if that's necessary."
Ten Hag has hidden behind the excuse that Casemiro's arrival coincided with United's winning run, which effectively secured McTominay's starting role at Manchester City. If a climber conquers Snowdon, they do not use the same gear for Everest.
"You see I think he settled in," Ten Hag added, "and you see which impact he can have and when he gets games he will be better and better."
McTominay bustles about but started the season as a No.8 and has been converted into a No.6. He turns 26 in December and there is still uncertainty over how best to utilise him.
Especially as he is already suspended. The Scot collected his fifth domestic yellow card of the campaign in eight appearances on Sunday. McTominay was not booked in the Premier League until November last season.
That in itself is telling. He was cautioned in both of Michael Carrick's Premier League games as caretaker manager and in Ralf Rangnick's first as interim.
As derisive as that "teacher's pet" sobriquet a teammate bequeathed McTominay last season, his commitment is particularly profound under new management. It is a knack a few of his teammates could still do with inheriting.
Most of McTominay's five yellows have been cynical although he was unfortunate at Everton, where the inauthoritative referee David Coote's thought process was based on Demarai Gray's reaction. The Goodison crowd would appeal if a gust of wind felled a player in Royal Blue but reacted mutedly to the foul.
Casemiro was awarded the man of the match and his impact dominated the Match of the Day 2 studio's green screen: ranking first for duels won (six), possessions won (nine) and passing accuracy (83%) in the final third. He ought to have crowned his performance with a headed goal at 1-1 that would have stolen Ronaldo's thunder.
With McTominay unavailable against Newcastle, Casemiro is certain to start against compatriot Bruno Guimaraes, a revelation since his winter transfer from Lyon. Another chance to earn an embrace from his manager.
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