With just enough elevation on his leap and inch-perfect direction on his looping header, Casemiro earned Manchester United a precious point at the death.
It was far from the first time the Brazilian had been in the right place at the right time at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
The midfielder seemed to be one step ahead of Chelsea throughout, his anticipation of the next phase of play unerring and his assuredness when he had the ball radiating calm to his United team-mates.
Erik ten Hag eased his £70million summer arrival into English football but it's already obvious just how much influence he has on this United side and that will only grow going forward.
An excellent segment by Martin Keown on Match of the Day highlighted this, showing the breadth of qualities Casemiro offers Ten Hag's team.
The montage began with a quarterback-style diagonal pass that found Jadon Sancho on the left wing, then an interception in midfield, followed by a classy curved ball out to Antony despite being hemmed in by blue shirts and facing his own goal.
There was a 10-yard forward burst that gambled on Ruben Loftus-Cheek losing control of the ball and led to Marcus Rashford being slipped clear for a chance he should have taken.
Two perfectly-timed tackles were then shown, one halting Raheem Sterling in his tracks on the edge of the United box.
The goal, a crucial one even at this stage of the season, capped a man of the match display and was followed by a pumped-up celebration in front of the United fans in the Shed End.
'Absolute class. I think he's a player they've been missing for years,' concluded Keown and it's hard to argue.
Even the regular midfield pairing of Fred and Scott McTominay - abbreviated to 'McFred' - already looks old hat compared to the dynamism and balance Casemiro can bring to United.
Both those players will have a role to play going forward, of course, but it's clear now that Casemiro will be the linchpin of Ten Hag's team.
The five-time Champions League winner offers them a composure that has been missing for some time.
Allied with Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes playing ahead of him, United should be able to feed play from back-to-front through central midfield again rather than relying on wide players.
It's far too early to be drawing comparisons with the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick but Casemiro is clearly an upgrade on anything they've had in the past five years.
'That is why we brought him in,' said Ten Hag after Saturday's draw. 'We know he is capable to do that, he proved it in Spain, he proved it in the Champions League, so the highest level.
'So he could so it in the Premier League. But it's clear the Premier League is a different league, especially with the intensity, so he needed a short period to adapt to that.
'And now, from game to game, you see him growing, and how important it is for our game.'
It is testament to Casemiro's ambition that he wanted to sign for a club who have well and truly lost their way of late.
Leaving a team that had just won LaLiga and the Champions League must have been difficult but, at 30, Casemiro knows that Real wait for no man, however successful. Besides, the Spanish club needed the money.
He also came in just after United had lost 4-0 to Brentford in their second game of the season but since then - with the obvious exception of that 6-3 defeat at Man City, which Casemiro didn't start - there has been gradual but clear improvement.
The midweek win over Tottenham showed the potential of the United team Ten Hag is assembling and, given their first-half chances, they really should have taken more from Chelsea.
But United are top four contenders again and Casemiro will influence whether he's back in the Champions League next season with his performances.
At Chelsea, he proved he can shield the back line effectively, with a bit of help from Eriksen, in a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 shape to allow the wing-backs to push on.
In the win over Tottenham, he was partnered with Fred, his likely World Cup accomplice with Brazil, in a 4-2-3-1.
Casemiro could also play alongside the industrious McTominay, which would allow him to play more of those long passes.
And he can also sit alongside Eriksen, who has been the revelation of United's season to date having signed for them on a free.
His qualities allow Ten Hag flexibility, which is what any manager craves. He's also a born winner, too, as his sparkling CV proves and standards have slipped at United.
They are still far from the finished product but with Casemiro impressing in midfield, they've taken a sizeable step toward that aim.