Manchester United seemed destined to win against Crystal Palace without any major problems...but a red card against Casemiro added a bit of spice to the game.
The Brazilian midfielder got the worse part of a VAR review, as he was apparently spotted holding Will Hughes' neck during a brawl between players from both teams. Referee Andre Marriner was called up to watch the monitor and eventually decided to show the South American ace a straight red card for his actions.
The incident quickly became a trending topic on social media, as some of Manchester United's supporters claimed Casemiro was only holding on to his rival's collar, while others praised the ref's decision to send him to the dressing room.
Have a look at Casemiro's display and decide if he deserved to be shown a straight red (Image may be geo-restricted).
Casemiro receives a red card for putting his hands around the neck of Will Hughes.
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 4, 2023
: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #MUNCRY pic.twitter.com/bDDUrSDqec
There are some special circumstances which make Casemiro's red card something rather strange. For starters, it had been quite a while since the Red Devils had seen one of their players being sent off.
Casemiro is the first Man Utd player to be sent off since Harry Maguire, v Watford in Nov 2021 - ending a run of 65 games without a red card pic.twitter.com/q9DNighran
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 4, 2023
Another thing to consider was how Casemiro had been given quite a few lifelines despite his sometimes rough playing style.
1 - Casemiro's dismissal was the first straight red card he's been shown while playing for a club within the big five European leagues (336 apps for Real Madrid and 30 for Manchester United across all competitions). Orders. pic.twitter.com/2zJ5d3mDRK
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 4, 2023
And of course, there's the matter of his immaculate record when it came to red cards.
STRAIGHT RED CARD FOR CASEMIRO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER pic.twitter.com/w6jylYGTml
— LiveScore (@livescore) February 4, 2023
In the end, there were some fans watching the game who decided to look at this incident with a different angle.
Casemiro highlights against crystal palace pic.twitter.com/LPUIETt57X
— Dan (@njorogelicious) February 4, 2023
Casemiro will now most-likely miss two games against Leeds United and one more against Leicester City. Manchester United could appeal the decision, but if the FA decide to support the ref, the ban could be extended to four matches.