MANCHESTER, England
\nCasemiro was a serial winner with Real Madrid and on Saturday he kept Manchester United\u2019s trophy hunt going strong in the FA Cup.
\nThe Brazil international struck twice in four second-half minutes as United won against second-division Reading 3-1 and progressed to the fifth round.
\nOn Wednesday, Erik ten Hag\u2019s improving team put a foot in the League Cup final by beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the first leg of the semifinals.
\nThere is growing belief among United fans that a six-year wait for a trophy will come to an end this season, with the club also still in the Europa League where a much-anticipated clash with Barcelona is coming next month.
\nIf Ten Hag is to lift silverware in his first season as manager, Casemiro will be pivotal to that success.
\nThe midfielder won five Champions Leagues and three Spanish titles with Madrid but left last summer for a new challenge in England.
\nTen Hag wanted to add his winning mentality to a team that had seen Manchester City and Liverpool dominate the Premier League in recent years. His influence was evident against a Reading team that withstood United\u2019s dominance until the 54th minute.
\nIt was a performance that underlined how much Casemiro was missed when he was suspended for the 3-2 loss to Arsenal last week, which left United 11 points behind the league leader.
\nWith Casemiro in the starting lineup, United have lost only two of 21 games in all competitions, compared to four of 11 without him.
\nWhile he is better known as a midfield enforcer, he has showcased his other attributes in his short time at Old Trafford, including his impressive range of passing.
\nAgainst Reading, it was his clinical finishing that broke the visitor\u2019s resistance.
\nFirst came a delicate chip to lift the ball over goalkeeper Joe Lumley after racing onto Antony\u2019s pass into the box. Then, in the 58th, he let fly from around 25 meters to double United\u2019s lead.
\nHis mastery was evident when Reading forward Andy Carroll\u2019s frustration boiled over and he was sent off for a second yellow card after a wild challenge on Casemiro in the 65th.
\nAnother Brazilian, Fred, came off the bench to add a third for United with a backheel a minute later. Amadou Mbengue scored a consolation for Reading, but there was never any danger of a comeback.
\nWhile they are fighting for survival in the league, Leeds, Leicester and Southampton are advancing in the cup.
\nSecuring top-flight status remains the priority for all three, but the cup is providing welcome relief from their battles against relegation.
\nLeeds won against third-tier Accrington Stanley 3-1, Leicester overcame fourth-tier Walsall 1-0, and bottom-of-the-league Southampton won against second-division Blackpool 2-1 on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANCHESTER, England Casemiro was a serial winner with Real Madrid and on Saturday he kept Manchester United\u2019s trophy hunt going strong in the FA Cup. The Brazil international struck twice in four second-half minutes as United won against second-division Reading 3-1 and progressed to the fifth round. On Wednesday, Erik ten Hag\u2019s improving team put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-310621","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n