What a different match it might have been had Casemiro not been red carded for the second time in 2023. The Manchester United midfielder was sent off, in the 34′, as he put a high boot on Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz in the two sides’ goalless draw at Old Trafford today. The former Real Madrid star was also shown red earlier this season against Crystal Palace.
However, it was a very questionable decision to say the least. Take a look at the footage below, and you’ll see that it is difficult to prove malicious intent.
Casemiro clearly slips off the ball, there was no malicious intent, the ref is a disgrace
pic.twitter.com/M98pgoBQV5— AB? (@AbsoluteBruno) March 12, 2023
That’s a questionable call right on its face value, but given how the referee originally gave Casemiro a yellow card, before VAR then changed it to a red, well, you can see why the United community at large is very angry about all this.
“Casemiro played over 500 games in Europe and never once got a red card,” United manager Erik ten Hag said.
“Now he has two in the Premier League. His absence is not the issue. We will deal with that. This game was influenced by the referee.”
That is putting it mildly: “influenced by the referee.” United was forced to play the rest of the way with just ten men, and given that situation, they’re lucky to have emerged with a point. As this is the Brazilian’s second red card of the season, he is now suspended for four games instead of three.
That is a very bad break against United, because Christian Eriksen is still out in the long term and Marcel Sabitzer missed out again today. That leaves a selection crisis for Ten Hag in the holding midfield; at least over the next few games. The 0-0 result left United in third place and Saints in dead last place.
Southampton remain two points off from safety, in what has become a very congested situation at the bottom.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.