Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund scored in Manchester United's win over Brentford, but the contribution of Marcus Rashford - a striker who has been in good form recently - cannot be overlooked.
The England striker set up Garnacho for the equaliser, one of four chances created from open play by the player. It has been 18 months since Rashford last created so many chances in a Premier League game.
In fact, you have to go back five years to find a game in which Rashford created more chances. Antonio Valencia, Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba were in the Red Devils' starting line-up in that game, suggesting this was not a typical performance from the England striker.
Rashford's superb cross-field pass to Garnacho in the first half should have brought an early breakthrough.
As well as being creative, Rashford also tried to harass the Brentford defence and chase down challenges when United did not have the ball. The 26-year-old made 24 pressures, a figure rarely seen from the striker in recent times.
In his post-match press conference, coach Erik ten Hag was clearly enthused by Rashford's performance. "He was very aggressive. I think we all know he is capable of many things. When he has this attitude, he scores goals," said the Dutchman.
The challenge for Ten Hag now is to maintain the 26-year-old's current form and confidence. "It wasn't a great game but Rashford played very hard and gave his all. There have been signs that Rashford is finding his form again in the last month. It's also an opportunity for him to return to the England team under Thomas Tuchel," Ten Hag added.
Rashford has often been criticised for his lack of dynamism and lack of movement over a long period of time. Therefore, his performance against Brentford was relatively strange but not unprecedented. In the context of Man United needing new sources of energy to overcome the storm, Rashford's spirit is a welcome sign.
The Red Devils will visit West Ham's London Stadium in the next round. They need more wins to improve their position on the rankings as well as regain the trust of their fans.
