The importance of Eriksen
When Manchester United signed Christian Eriksen on a free transfer in the summer it looked like a shrewd deal, strengthening the depth in Erik ten Hag's squad without putting a big hole in the budget.
Maybe nobody except Ten Hag envisioned the Dane becoming quite as integral as he has done to this team, however. After 11 successive starts Eriksen was finally given a rest more than two months into his Old Trafford career.
But United's toil against obdurate opponents only increased the sense of importance around Eriksen's role. Fred started brightly, and took up some clever positions between the lines, but wasn't as clever and quick on the ball as Eriksen is.
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When those two swapped with just over 20 minutes to go Eriksen immediately started to add more attacking threat. Fred did twice get into dangerous areas, with a first-half header and a shot early in the second half, but Eriksen was pulling strings in advanced areas and had two shots blocked from the edge of the area.
It was his patience on the ball that helped find Jadon Sancho in the area for United's late, late winner. Sancho had also made an impact off the bench, but Eriksen is proving to be so valuable.
The 30-year-old came off at half-time against Real Sociedad in what was a pre-planned change but has played 90 minutes in the other two Europa League games. In all eight Premier League fixtures Eriksen has played at least 83 minutes.
He is making the midfield tick at the moment and after Thursday he might not be in line for a rest for a little while again.
Casemiro's class
This wasn't the kind of test Casemiro is used to and he probably found running this midfield as routine as it gets, but after a shaky start to his Old Trafford career, his class is beginning to shine through.
It was noticeable that the Brazilian improved as the game wore on at Goodison Park on Sunday and his quality was always on show against Omonia Nicosia.
As a defensive midfielder in a dominant side he didn't have too much dirty work to do, but he was excellent on the ball and continued to show his desire to pass forward and break lines.
It's one area where he certainly has an advantage over Scott McTominay and with Casemiro now settling into his surroundings and to Premier League football, his value is becoming clear.
Europa League peril
This victory has taken United to the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League, in fact there would have to be an incredible turn of events for them not to qualify now.
But that doesn't make the final two games dead rubbers. A change in the format of the Europa League means there is considerable extra incentive to win the group and United have been chasing their tail on that front since losing to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on matchday one.
If United only qualify in second they will face an extra play-off round in February where they will play one of the third-placed teams from the eight Champions League groups. That could currently be AC Milan, Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus. There is the real possibility of a very difficult two-legged fixture just to reach the last-16.
Group winners in the Europa League go straight into the last-16 in March, so the reward for finishing top is significant. If both teams win in two weeks, then United will have to go to San Sebastian and beat Real Sociedad to have a chance of topping this group.
Ten Hag's biggest selection call
If there is one genuine selection fight going on at United at the moment it is probably at left-back, where Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are scrapping it out over who deserves to start.
Shaw was back in the team against Everton after Malacia was withdrawn at half-time against Manchester City and Nicosia last week, but the Dutchman returned to the side on Thursday.
He's being asked to play a narrower role than Diogo Dalot on the right and when Malacia does play it is noticeable that more of United's build-up play goes down Dalot's wing, before play is sometimes switched to the left in the final third.
Shaw certainly looks the bigger threat at the moment on that wing, even if he might lack some of Malacia's tenacity and aggression in defence. It's a tough call for Ten Hag to make.
Ten Hag's man management test
One of the most noticeable aspects of United's group-stage campaign in the Europa League has been the strength of teams picked by Ten Hag, especially in the last three games against pretty limited opposition.
The Dutchman is clearly settling on a strongest XI and then not really deviating from it. Casemiro struggled to get into the team but now he's ousted Scott McTominay he's started three in a row when this fixture looked like an obvious chance to hand a game to the academy graduate.
Fred did at least start in midfield but it was his first start since the defeat to Sociedad. He was badly in need of minutes. Anthony Elanga has now gone five games without a start.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to persist with a strong team, but United's pre-World Cup schedule is demanding and then there's the issue of keeping players happy. If some realise their chances of getting game time are limited that could become an issue as well. It's a situation Ten Hag will have to manage delicately.
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