Alan Pardew has revealed the satisfaction he took from Crystal Palace's 2-0 EFL Cup second-round defeat of Blackpool.
A first-half own goal and substitute Connor Wickham's powerful strike secured a routine victory for his team at Selhurst Park.
They rarely seemed stretched by their League Two opponents after the manager gave debuts to Christian Benteke and Steve Mandanda and a first start to James Tomkins.
The £27 million club-record signing Benteke was replaced at half-time by Wickham -- as had been Pardew's plan -- but the 55-year-old was pleased he was given a chance to improve his match fitness in the same way the returning Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur also were.
"We were a great cup team last year, both competitions, and we want to be again,'' said Pardew, who was criticised after Palace's 1-0 Premier League defeats by West Brom and Tottenham.
"That was highlighted by the strength of the team I picked. We're through, [picked] no injuries, and had a few good debuts. Christian: he showed flashes of why we spent a record sum of money.
"Cabaye, McArthur were outstanding; Tomkins had a great [full] debut as well.''
Benteke's arrival appears to have placed Wickham's first-team place under threat. The striker is yet to justify the faith Pardew has placed in him, but he scored Palace's second goal less than two minutes after his introduction.
Instead of being undermined by Benteke's presence, Pardew believes it has "lifted a weight'' from Wickham. He could also yet return to Palace's starting XI against Bournemouth on Saturday, with the manager yet to decide whether Benteke is sufficiently match fit to start in the Premier League.
Asked if he planned to take Benteke off after 45 minutes, Pardew responded: "Yes. He hasn't had a lot of match action. He looks fit, but we were on the side of caution.
"I'll have to chew this result [before making a decision on Benteke for Saturday], look at what's available and then go from there.
"I want him to get to the level he was at prior to Liverpool. The reason he didn't get to that level was because he didn't play enough. He's going to get a flow of games here; if we can keep him fit he's going to be a real big asset for us.
"It was like a weight had been lifted from [Wickham. It's a] great responsibility when you're the only striker we're carrying.
"There was a lot of pressure on him, the first couple of games. It was difficult for him. Christian's arrival's taken a bit of weight off him. He was fresher, sharper, and looked all the better for it.
"I'm pleased we've come through and can set ourselves up for what is a big game on Saturday. It'll be really tough.''