“You saw that”- Man United boss admits Casemiro ‘crossed the line’ for red card vs Crystal Palace

Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United midfielder Casemiro “crossed the line” for red card against Crystal Palace

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted that Casemiro “crossed the line” as he was handed a red card in the match against Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils took on the Eagles on Saturday (4 February) at home. In the end, the Old Trafford side saw off the game and won 2-1.

Around the 70th-minute mark, Jeffrey Shclupp’s challenge on Antony led to a scrap between the two sets of players. During the incident, the former Real Madrid star was sent off after a tussle with Will Hughes.

Speaking after the fixture via Express, Ten Hag admitted that the 30-year-old’s actions were unacceptable. However, the gaffer blasted the double standards and lack of uniformity from the referees.

“Casemiro crossed the line; you saw that. However, I’m unhappy with the inconsistent refereeing; not only this game but also in Palace. They elbowed Martínez and last week with Eriksen.

“A lot of other players crossed the line, including some Crystal Palace players. VAR didn’t intervene with them.”

During the scrap, a lot of Palace players were also at fault. However, only Casemiro’s actions were deemed too extreme. Subsequently, we had to struggle to hold on to the victory.

United took the lead in the game in the opening minutes from the spot. Bruno Fernandes calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

Then, in the 62nd minute, Marcus Rashford got on the scoresheet. The 25-year-old has been in red-hot form this season. He has now scored seven goals in our last 10 Premier League matches.

However, after the Brazil international’s dismissal, Patrick Vieira’s team got back into the game. Schlupp scored from a corner that the Red Devils failed to deal with in the 76th minute.

However, United managed to hold on to the three points through some brilliant defending from the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. The Argentine especially put his body on the line for the win.

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While we managed to get the result, the bigger issue is Casemiro’s three-game suspension. Considering the fact that the Red Devils have an issue in the middle of the park makes it even more concerning. Hopefully, Marcel Sabitzer can step up to the plate.