Marouane Fellaini repaid Jose Mourinho's faith with a late header that gave Manchester United a 2-0 EFL Cup semi-final advantage against injury-ravaged Hull.
The Belgium midfielder has long been a divisive figure at Old Trafford and has even been jeered by pockets of home fans recently.
However, Fellaini has been continually backed by Mourinho and ended Tuesday's first-leg encounter with the Stretford End chanting his name after he nodded home a late goal to add to Juan Mata's close-range opener.
It was a late sucker-punch for a Hull side forced to play two midfielders in defence due to injury problems that worsened as Markus Henriksen and Josh Tymon were forced off in their first ever EFL Cup semi-final appearance.
Hull, bottom of the Premier League, equipped themselves well for the most part and it looked like Marco Silva's men would restrict United to Mata's 56th-minute goal, which came shortly after Wayne Rooney had passed up a fine chance to notch a record 250th goal for the club.
Paul Pogba hit the post as the Tigers dug deep, before substitute Fellaini rose at the far post to send in a looping header.
The midfielder went over to hug Mourinho after a goal that wrapped up a ninth successive win in all competitions for in-form United.
Southampton and Liverpool contest the other semi-final, with the first leg at St Mary's on Wednesday.
Few had expected anything other than a comfortable home win, which United threatened when Mata tested Eldin Jakupovic inside two minutes.
But Hull played surprisingly well and Harry Maguire soon went on a run that belied his role as hulking defender, bursting from his own half and showing some nice touches before getting a shot at David de Gea.
The defender had been a doubt for this match and his presence at the back was much-needed given the absence of Michael Dawson, Alex Bruce, Curtis Davies and even makeshift centre-back Jake Livermore.
Tom Huddlestone instead partnered Maguire due to an injury list that grew when Henriksen was hurt in a collision with Pogba.
Abel Hernandez was introduced after Henrikh Mkhitaryan came close to capitalising on their temporary man advantage, with Pogba then unleashing a rasping long-range drive that Jakupovic pushed over.
Marcus Rashford was the next to try his luck as he sent a drive just over before the visitors threatened, with Adama Diomande wriggling free to get away a header that came back off the post.
It would not have counted anyway as offside was called but it showed Hull were not going to just defend, with star turn Robert Snodgrass seeing a low shot saved by de Gea before substitute Hernandez did the same.
A bouncing Pogba effort was stopped by Jakupovic and David Meyler got back superbly to put in a recovery tackle on Rashford before half-time, which Mourinho left early for.
When they returned from the break, Pogba, performing superbly in midfield, sent a fine ball over to Rooney and United's captain sent a shot whizzing across the face of goal.
The 31-year-old was inches away from a record 250th United goal and a semi-final breakthrough, but the latter would arrive in the 56th minute.
Hull's makeshift backline had performed impressively but were finally opened up when Mkhitaryan's header was turned in at the far post by Mata.
There was an air of relief around Old Trafford that was soon replaced by surprise as Mourinho brought Anthony Martial on as a 59th minute substitute for Rooney.
The decision to put more pace up against Hull's makeshift backline made sense, but it was a Pogba free-kick that would prove the next threat as it came back off the post.
Diomande failed with an acrobatic effort at the other end and Shaun Maloney struck well wide, before Silva's men were hit late on by a second goal.
Fellaini, on as a 79th minute substitute for Mata, met a Matteo Darmian cross at the far post with a looping header that beat Jakupovic.
The Belgium midfielder ran straight to Mourinho in celebration as the crowd chanted his name.
Martial attempted to add a third before Hull's night ended with teenager Tymon limping off.
