In a week that has been tarred by reported dressing room disgruntlement and the banning of media outlets from press conferences, Manchester United earned a massive 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
A brace from Scott McTominay spread across both halves put Mauricio Pochettino's side to the sword and clawed the Red Devils to within three points of treble-winners and bitter rivals Manchester City.
There were a number of excellent performers on the night for the English giants, not least the man who put two past an awkward-looking Robert Sanchez into the opposition's net. However, there was another star that stole the show during the game.
Manchester United's performance in numbers
Despite having less possession than the Blues, the 13-time Premier League champions battered Chelsea's goal, registering 28 shots which recorded a whopping 4.07 expected goals to the opposition's 1.4, according to FotMob.
0.78 of United's xG came from Bruno Fernandes' penalty miss early in the first half, but 3.29 non-penalty xG is still quite a stark figure and perhaps an indictment on Chelsea's defensive display.
In contrast, on Saturday, during the 1-0 defeat away at St. James' Park against Newcastle United, Erik ten Hag's side mustered a mere 0.48 xG which was eight-and-a-half times less than their final sum against Chelsea.
The victory now leaves United just three points off the top four, silencing critics of the Dutch manager, with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon admitting that the players were "playing for Ten Hag" during the game.
McTominay rightly earned plaudits after the match for his double, which puts him top of Man United's goalscoring charts this season with six goals. The Scotland international had seven shots in total throughout the match, with six coming from inside the penalty area. Additionally, 1.87 of United's 4.07 xG came from McTominay, as per FotMob.
However, there was an unsung hero for the Reds who was key behind the team's victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Antony's performance in numbers
Antony has come in for a lot of criticism, particularly this season, having failed to score one goal or even bag an assist in any competition despite being the club's second-most-expensive signing of all-time behind Paul Pogba.
Nevertheless, his display at Old Trafford versus Chelsea was worthy of praise, with Statman Dave calling his performance "electric" in the first half.
The tricky Brazilian created two chances for Man United on the night and even drew a foul from Enzo Fernandez within the opening ten minutes which led referee David Coote to point to the spot after a VAR check.
In addition, Antony played three balls into the final third as United bombarded Chelsea's box, while having 52 touches of the ball during the game, popping up with four shots at Sanchez and winning eight duels.
Antony replaced Marcus Rashford perhaps surprisingly in the starting lineup for Wednesday's home bout. The England international had merely 22 touches of the ball, played one pass into the final third and failed to register a single shot at goal during the dismal defeat at Newcastle on Saturday, meaning Antony's performance was certainly a welcome one by the home supporters. Goalscorer McTominay heaped praise on Antony after the game, labelling his display as "world-class".
While the wait goes on for a goal contribution from the Brazil international, the manager will be left pleased with his £82m winger who could keep Rashford out of the team for at least the next few games.