"I know Manchester United are always aiming for trophies, and we are going for that," Erik ten Hag vowed before his side's FA Cup third round tie against Everton.
Often, cup competitions are used by managers as an opportunity to rotate personnel. But not for Ten Hag, who is continuing to show how intact he is with the values of Manchester United as a football club.
Talk can often be cheap, but Ten Hag has stuck to his word when insisting every match has to be taken seriously. Across three cup competitions this term, he hasn't taken his foot off the gas - just as it should be at United.
They were unfortunate not to top their Europa League group, while Ten Hag has approached both Carabao Cup matches so far this season in a manner that signifies intent in a competition often belittled. The FA Cup appears to be no different in his mind.
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"The cup is always special," Ten Hag said before his first match in charge in the competition.
The FA Cup has been accused of losing its lustre in recent times, but Ten Hag was keen to emphasise the allure that remains.
Ten Hag's team selection indicated his continued determination to end United's nigh-on six-year trophy drought, with the same core of players named in the starting XI that he regularly turns to in the Premier League. At the same time, naming Luke Shaw at centre-back for the third time in four matches showed there is no fear when it comes to making big calls.
And Ten Hag gained vindication for his assured decision-making after only four minutes, as United took an early lead.
Where some managers may have been inclined to rest their most in-form player amid a relentless schedule, Ten Hag stuck with Marcus Rashford, whose expert dribbling saw Ben Godfrey deceived before a teasing, low left-footed cross met Antony's run into space for United to score the game's opening goal.
United started with levels of intent that weren't always present before Ten Hag took charge, with the football for the opening goal a result of commitment to playing at a high intensity and, thereby, a high tempo.
Having been in control of the match and with Everton timid, Ten Hag will have lamented United being pegged back only 10 minutes after scoring.
David de Gea made an unexplainable error after getting himself into an awkward position up against his own post, letting the ball through his legs in calamitous fashion for Conor Coady to tap into an empty net and equalise.
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United's response to the setback was good. They didn't stop trying to play the attacking football that had been a staple of the game's early knockings.
However, chances going begging, particularly from Anthony Martial, did further outline the necessity of reinforcements to the squad. Misplaced passes also made for a scrappier affair with little clear flow.
But there is a difference already showing under Ten Hag. There is an air of resilience in this United outfit that has developed since Ten Hag's arrival, with this gritty side of his team giving them an edge in messier matches against aggressive, defensive opponents.
Speaking to Voetbal International, Ten Hag expressed the importance of a culture involving the sort of collective work ethic growing evident.
"There was no spirit. I saw no team dynamic in the squad. The mental resilience was very low. I saw that as an outsider - and also noticed it in my first weeks at the club," Ten Hag said, speaking about the state of the squad he inherited.
"I looked at the culture of the club," he continued. "I asked: 'how did United become great?' And for me, it was about Sir Alex Ferguson. His teams excelled in togetherness, collectivity, spirit. You just couldn't beat them."
It is valuable that Ten Hag is taking a leaf from Ferguson's book, helping to rebuild a side that fans are able to get behind due to being aligned with core values of the club. He has his own ways too, but embracing the values of the club you are at the helm of is crucial.
He even went on to list a number of players from United's history that his squad should be moulded around. "United always had top strikers like [Eric] Cantona, [Andy] Cole, [Teddy] Sheringham, [Dwight] Yorke, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, [Robin] van Persie. And top goalkeepers like [Peter] Schmeichel, [Edwin] van der Sar, De Gea," he said.
"In the centre, there were big personalities like Jaap Stam, [Nemanja] Vidic, Rio Ferdinand. And always a strategist in midfield. Roy Keane, the boss. Paul Scholes, a magnificent footballer and personality."
This knowledge of the club's history is invaluable.
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Personality has actually become something that Ten Hag often refers back to. He clearly views it as important that his players possess more than just being footballers, for instance leadership characteristics or resilience.
"When we get players, you look at their quality and technical skills," Ten Hag insisted. "But you also look at their mental quality, that mental resilience - and we had to bring that back."
This was specifically about signings, but it applies as a principle for every player - new or old. Marcus Rashford continues to prove the epitome of this. After struggling for even the slightest sign of form last season, he continues to look reinvigorated under Ten Hag.
After creating United's opening goal against Everton, giving Antony an open net to slide the ball into, Rashford forced an own goal early in the second half as United retook the lead. Seamus Coleman was left in Rashford's wake as he drove into the Everton penalty area, with a ball played low into the corridor of uncertainty turned in by Coady.
Rashford's dribbling stood out in both instances, with changes of direction and pace seeing him beat Godfrey and Coleman respectively. Directness has returned to Rashford's game as a result of his replenished confidence, and he is consequently a constant threat for defenders to deal with - and often ultimately foul.
Left-footed passes leading to the goals emphasise growing completeness to Rashford's game, with an ability to go outside of defenders as well as cutting inside.
It was reward for another man of the match display that Rashford took and scored a penalty, which was won by a sprightly Alejandro Garnacho after a Bruno Fernandes through ball, in the final stages of the game, extending his run to scoring in seven consecutive home matches.
His record for the season reads 13 goals and six assists, which puts him on track to finish with his best career return. He is a decisive factor more than ever in matches at the moment, with eight goal contributions in five matches since the World Cup. Against Everton, he was essential to the scoring of all three goals.
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Standards are certainly increasing under Ten Hag, hence the upturn in results for United. Already this season, before even the theoretical halfway point, their 19 wins is only one less victory than the total they managed throughout the entirety of last season.
In his interview with Voetbal International, Ten Hag related the criteria of new signings to the standards he is setting.
"The club has bought an unimaginable number of players in recent years who have not been good enough," he said, rather brutally. "Most purchases have been average - and at United average is not good enough."
But this is the ruthlessness needed. As part of the forging of a winning culture, players have to be kept in check and mediocrity cannot be settled for, and Ten Hag's disciplinarian nature ensures this.
At the same time, he is considerate and a man-manager, so claims by no means deface any individuals, which has been the case under previous managers, namely Jose Mourinho, who publicly criticised the likes of Luke Shaw.
Antony's conversation with Brazilian media proved him as one of the "personalities" and "fighters" - necessary traits of new signings - acquired by Ten Hag.
"We all know the size of this club and we want to put United back to where it deserves," Antony said. Even if he needs to further adapt his game to become a revelation in English football, the intensity that he offers cannot be faulted for the most part.
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Beating Everton extended United's winning run to seven matches, with 14 wins in 17 outings since losing to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in October.
The recent run has been somewhat favourable, and greater tests are to come for United. But at least they are winning winnable matches, even when matches descend into scrappiness.
Everton were toothless but also stubborn on Friday night. United weren't scintillating, but they are showing a newfound ability to win whether at their best or not. Crucially, a replay was avoided; winning is the priority, especially in cup competitions, and this side are showing an ability to get the job done.
Ten Hag has approached every cup game with the intent that a Manchester United manager should, and he is getting the same back from his squad. Standards are rising and a winning culture is starting to be forged once again.
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