The significance of Eriksen in this regard

It appeared to be a shrewd deal when Manchester United signed Christian Eriksen on a free transfer during the summer. This strengthened the depth in Erik ten Hag's squad without making a significant dent in the budget.

It's possible that nobody on this team, not even Ten Hag, foresaw the Dane becoming quite as important to the success of this group as he has. After more than two months of playing for Old Trafford, Eriksen was finally allowed to take a break after a string of 11 consecutive starts.

However, United's struggles against tenacious rivals only served to heighten the sense of significance that surrounds Eriksen's role. Fred got off to a strong start and took up some clever positions between the lines, but Eriksen is more astute and quick on the ball than Fred was.

As soon as those two switched positions with a little over 20 minutes remaining, Eriksen immediately began to add more of a threat to the attack. Fred did get into dangerous areas twice, once with a header in the first half and once early in the second half with a shot, but Eriksen was pulling strings in advanced areas and had two shots from the edge of the area blocked. Fred did get into dangerous areas twice.

Jadon Sancho's game-winning goal for Manchester United came about as a direct result of his patient play on the ball, which allowed him to find Sancho in the penalty area. Sancho had also been making an impact off the bench, but Eriksen is proving to be so valuable that it's hard to compare the two.

The 30-year-old player was taken out of the game against Real Sociedad at halftime as part of a pre-planned substitution, but he has played the full 90 minutes in both of the other games in the Europa League. Eriksen has played at least 83 minutes in each of the eight Premier League matches that he has participated in.

As of right now, he is the engine that drives the midfield, and after Thursday, it is unlikely that he will be eligible for a rest for a period of time again.

Casemiro's class

After a shaky beginning to his career at Old Trafford, Casemiro's class is beginning to shine through. This wasn't the kind of test that Casemiro is used to, and he probably found running this midfield as routine as it gets. However, after this kind of test, he probably found running this midfield as routine as it gets.

At Goodison Park on Sunday, it was clear that the Brazilian player was getting better as the match progressed, and Omonia Nicosia were unable to match his level of quality throughout the match.

As a defensive midfielder for a team that was dominant, he didn't have to do a lot of dirty work, but he was excellent with the ball and showed a continued desire to pass forward and break lines.

It is one area in which he unquestionably has an advantage over Scott McTominay, and with Casemiro now becoming accustomed to his surroundings as well as the football played in the Premier League, his value is becoming more apparent.

Europa League peril

United is now on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League thanks to this victory; in fact, it would take an incredible turn of events for them to not qualify at this point.

However, this does not mean that the final two matches are already decided. Because of a change in the structure of the Europa League, there is a significant additional incentive to win the group, and United has been chasing their tail on this front ever since they suffered a defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on the first matchday of the competition.

If Manchester United can only qualify for the Champions League by finishing in second place, they will have to compete in an additional play-off round in February against one of the teams that finished third in their respective Champions League group. It's possible that AC Milan, Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, or Juventus will take the title this season. There is a distinct possibility of a very challenging two-legged matchup just to get into the last 16 of the competition.

The Europa League champions advance directly to the round of 16 in March, making it a significant accomplishment to finish in first place in one's group. In the event that both teams win their remaining games, Manchester United will need to travel to San Sebastian and defeat Real Sociedad there in order to have any chance of finishing first in this group.

The most important selection decision made by Ten Hag
At the moment, if there is one genuine selection fight going on at United, it is probably at left-back, where Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are squabbling over who ought to start and why.
After Malacia was taken out of the game at halftime during the previous week's matches against Manchester City and Nicosia, Shaw was back in the lineup for the game against Everton, but the Dutchman was back in the lineup on Thursday.
When he 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. This is because he is being asked to play a role that is more restricted than the one that Diogo Dalot plays on the right side of the field.

Even though Shaw may lack some of Malacia's tenacity and aggression in defense, there is no doubt that he is currently posing a greater threat than Malacia does on that wing. Ten Hag faces a challenging choice in this situation.

Ten Hag's man management test
The quality of the teams that Ten Hag has selected for United in the Europa League group stage has been one of the aspects that has stood out the most, particularly in the club's most recent three contests against opponents who were not particularly formidable.
The Dutchman appears to be deciding on a strongest eleven and then not really deviating from that eleven in any significant way. Casemiro had a hard time breaking into the team, but now that he's replaced Scott McTominay, he's started three games in a row, and this matchup seemed like an obvious opportunity to give the academy graduate some playing time.

Although it was Fred's first start since the loss to Sociedad, at least he got off to a good start in the middle of the field. He was in desperate need of some spare time. It has been five games since Anthony Elanga has been given the opportunity to start.

There is nothing wrong with the objective of maintaining a strong team, but Manchester United's schedule leading up to the World Cup is demanding, and there is also the problem of ensuring that players are satisfied. Should some of them come to the realization that their opportunities to participate in games are limited, this could become an additional source of contention. It's a tricky situation that Ten Hag will need to masterfully navigate.