Manchester United's heroic defensive effort at the Emirates Stadium was one that Erik ten Hag might have enjoyed had he tuned in. Lisandro Martinez led from the front with aggression as always. Noussair Mazraoui showed that spirit and fight that has already made him a cult hero at Old Trafford. Lastly, Matthijs de Ligt played a prominent role in keeping Arsenal at bay.

De Ligt was the only member of the back three to see out the full 120 minutes in defence. Harry Maguire lasted 104 minutes before the illness that forced him out of training on Friday caught up with him, while Martinez ended the game at centre-forward, with United prioritising height in the back three as Arsenal went with an aerial bombardment.

Maguire was magnificent and earned plenty of plaudits for his performance, but De Ligt was equally as impressive alongside him. The Dutchman blocked everything near him and won plenty of headers, while his clearance from under his crossbar in extra-time was exceptional.

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It was a good day to be in United's defence, except for Diogo Dalot who was dismissed just after the hour mark. Mazraoui played both wing-back roles, won countless key headers from set-pieces and ended the game in the back three. His initial £12.8m (rising to £16m) move from Bayern Munich last summer looks like a steal, and Ruben Amorim has quickly become a fan.

But for De Ligt, the class has taken longer to shine through. At £42.7m, he was the more expensive of the two players to join United from Bayern in a double deal in August. He also came with those familiar Ten Hag questions.

Ten Hag had made De Ligt his captain at Ajax as a teenager. Now, he was pushing for a reunion with a player who hadn't hit the heights expected in the five years since he left Amsterdam. Juventus and Bayern sold him at a loss, and endured a shaky start at Old Trafford.

This summer, he didn't get a kick for the Netherlands in the European Championship. When his opportunity arrived for his country in September, he was at fault for goals against Bosnia and Germany, and Ronald Koeman took him off at half-time in the latter game to "protect him".

Ten Hag praised De Ligt when he returned to Carrington and said his quality would shine through at United once he had settled in at the club, having missed out on pre-season.

"I know Matt and he’s a great personality, his character, he will overcome this and will bounce back in this situation Dutch squad," Ten Hag said in September. "Definitely not his club situation. I’m not afraid for this situation, I know his qualities, I know his personality and I know he’ll fight back."

De Ligt's reunion with Ten Hag lasted only a dozen games before the manager was sacked at the end of October. De Ligt was pained to see the man who had handed him his chance at Ajax and now bought him to Old Trafford go, but he has thrived under Amorim.

For all the question marks of the suitability of some players to fit into Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system, his central defenders look well-suited to the shape. It is bringing the best out of Maguire, Martinez offers left-footed balance and passing, and De Ligt has played in the system for club and country before.

De Ligt has started 10 of Amorim's 13 games in charge, and his partnership with Maguire and Martinez is beginning to flourish. Others stole the headlines at the Emirates, but De Ligt was excellent.

With Ten Hag gone, he has settled in without the spotlight that came with being another Dutch signing and another former Ajax player in the previous regime. It was a familiar approach for Ten Hag in the transfer market.

It's not been without its success, however. Martinez is returning to his best form, Mazraoui has been excellent so far, and De Ligt is beginning to show signs of returning to his best. All three are key now for Amorim, but De Ligt deserves his moment in the spotlight.