diff --git a/fox.go b/fox.go
index c8203b6..2c137ef 100644
--- a/fox.go
+++ b/fox.go
@@ -361,6 +361,9 @@ func (fox *Router) Name(name string) *Route {
 // (trailing slash action recommended). This function is safe for concurrent use by multiple goroutine and while
 // mutation on routes are ongoing. See also [Router.Lookup] as an alternative.
 func (fox *Router) Match(method string, r *http.Request) (route *Route, tsr bool) {
+	if method == "" {
+		return nil, false
+	}
 	tree := fox.getTree()
 	c := tree.pool.Get().(*Context)
 	defer tree.pool.Put(c)
@@ -381,6 +384,9 @@ func (fox *Router) Match(method string, r *http.Request) (route *Route, tsr bool
 // [Route] and a [Context]. The [Context] should always be closed if non-nil. This function is safe for
 // concurrent use by multiple goroutine and while mutation on routes are ongoing. See also [Router.Match] as an alternative.
 func (fox *Router) Lookup(w ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (route *Route, cc *Context, tsr bool) {
+	if r.Method == "" {
+		return nil, nil, false
+	}
 	tree := fox.getTree()
 	c := tree.pool.Get().(*Context)
 	c.resetWithWriter(w, r)
@@ -459,6 +465,10 @@ func (fox *Router) NewRoute(methods []string, pattern string, handler HandlerFun
 		rte.methods = slices.Compact(rte.methods)
 	}
 
+	if len(rte.methods) == 1 && len(rte.matchers) == 0 {
+		rte.methodFast = rte.methods[0]
+	}
+
 	return rte, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/node.go b/node.go
index 942cce1..5e2028e 100644
--- a/node.go
+++ b/node.go
@@ -106,7 +106,10 @@ Walk:
 			if idx < num && matched.statics[idx].label == label {
 				child := matched.statics[idx]
 				keyLen := len(child.key)
-				if keyLen <= len(search) && stringsutil.EqualStringsASCIIIgnoreCase(search[:keyLen], child.key) {
+				// keyLen == 1 short-circuits the case-insensitive compare: hostname keys are
+				// stored lowercase (uppercase is rejected at parse time) and the label match
+				// already proved lowercase(search[0]) == child.key[0].
+				if keyLen == 1 || (keyLen <= len(search) && stringsutil.EqualStringsASCIIIgnoreCase(search[:keyLen], child.key)) {
 					if len(matched.params) > 0 || len(matched.wildcards) > 0 {
 						*c.skipStack = append(*c.skipStack, skipNode{
 							node:         matched,
@@ -332,8 +335,10 @@ Walk:
 				child := matched.statics[idx]
 				keyLen := len(child.key)
 				// While this is less performant than byte-by-byte comparaison for reasonable search size,
-				// direct == comparaison on string scale way better on long route.
-				if keyLen <= len(search) && search[:keyLen] == child.key {
+				// direct == comparaison on string scale way better on long route. The keyLen == 1 case
+				// short-circuits the memequal call: we already verified search[0] == child.key[0] via the
+				// label match above.
+				if keyLen == 1 || (keyLen <= len(search) && search[:keyLen] == child.key) {
 					if len(matched.params) > 0 || len(matched.wildcards) > 0 {
 						*c.skipStack = append(*c.skipStack, skipNode{
 							node:         matched,
diff --git a/route.go b/route.go
index 6e25220..10e807f 100644
--- a/route.go
+++ b/route.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ type Route struct {
 	mws         []middleware
 	params      []string
 	matchers    []Matcher
+	methodFast  string
 	pattern     pattern
 	priority    uint
 	handleSlash TrailingSlashOption
@@ -135,12 +136,27 @@ func (r *Route) String() string {
 // match reports whether the request satisfies this route's method constraint (if any)
 // and all attached matchers.
 func (r *Route) match(method string, c RequestContext) bool {
-	// Fast path for common cases: no methods or single method
+	// Fast path: routes with exactly one method and no matchers cache that
+	// method in methodFast.
+	if r.methodFast == method {
+		return true
+	}
+	return r.matchSlow(method, c)
+}
+
+// matchSlow handles the cases match's fast path does not cover: zero or many
+// methods, and routes with matchers. It is kept out-of-line so match remains
+// inlinable.
+//
+//go:noinline
+func (r *Route) matchSlow(method string, c RequestContext) bool {
 	methods := r.methods
 	switch len(methods) {
 	case 0:
-		// No method constraint
+		// No method constraint.
 	case 1:
+		// Avoid the slices.Contains overhead for the single-method case (which
+		// match's fast path leaves to us when matchers are present).
 		if methods[0] != method {
 			return false
 		}
@@ -149,7 +165,6 @@ func (r *Route) match(method string, c RequestContext) bool {
 			return false
 		}
 	}
-
 	for _, m := range r.matchers {
 		if !m.Match(c) {
 			return false
diff --git a/txn.go b/txn.go
index 987064d..3139731 100644
--- a/txn.go
+++ b/txn.go
@@ -285,6 +285,10 @@ func (txn *Txn) Match(method string, r *http.Request) (route *Route, tsr bool) {
 		panic(ErrSettledTxn)
 	}
 
+	if method == "" {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+
 	tree := txn.rootTxn.tree
 	c := tree.pool.Get().(*Context)
 	defer tree.pool.Put(c)
@@ -309,6 +313,10 @@ func (txn *Txn) Lookup(w ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (route *Route, cc *Con
 		panic(ErrSettledTxn)
 	}
 
+	if r.Method == "" {
+		return nil, nil, false
+	}
+
 	tree := txn.rootTxn.tree
 	c := tree.pool.Get().(*Context)
 	c.resetWithWriter(w, r)