Admittedly QPR were not the toughest adversary Manchester United could have faced but on the evidence of yesterday's 4 - 0 win at Old Trafford, the midfield diamond glittered.
Angel Di Maria showed that a place on the left side of a midfield which allows him to run in both inside and outside channels brings the best out of him, while Ander Herrera had his strongest performance in the red shirt.
You can listen to Steven Reid's assessment on the match via the Monday Rewind podcast
The man seen as a potential fall guy, Juan Mata, also did his case no harm with a goal, although stats showed he created zero chances despite a 98 per cent completion rate.
Further up the field, it was also noticeable that Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie pulled wide out of possession, with Mata occasionally advancing beyond the pair when QPR had the ball at the back.
But it was Daley Blind whose role was quite interesting. Replacing Darren Fletcher as the anchor, the Netherlands international was very diligent in his role in front of the back four.
Tidy in possession, he managed a 95 per cent pass completion rate and his Squawka graph showed him generally patrolling the vital space in front of the defence:
While his passing was not of the most ambitious nature (34 of 112 passes went to centre backs Tyler Blackett and Jonny Evans), he made himself available for the ball, recycling possession and made more passes than any other player against QPR.
The Ajax academy product also managed two successful tackles and two interceptions during his time on the field.
Of course QPR barely mustered a credible challenge so while Blind's introduction to the Premier League was quite relaxed yesterday, his shield will be tested in a much more aggressive fashion against stronger sides.
There is a danger that he could be overrun in higher level matches unless Herrera is asked to sit closer to him or if the shape is changed to give him more support in the defensive midfield zone.
But Blind's place in the diamond in QPR-standard game as well as the extra space on the sides allows Di Maria to get out wide and the Argentina obliged by putting in six crosses during the match.
All stats are courtesy of statistics website Squawka. Learn more about Squawka and the free app by clicking here.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
