Crystal Palace gaining points had an extra sour edge for Manchester United due to an action by Casemiro. Arsenal was therefore also the winner, as is the conclusion in England after the game at Selhurst Park.
Manchester United collected the equalizer in the last minute on Wednesday, so that the tenth victory in a row was not achieved and the opportunity to reduce the gap to leader Arsenal was not fully utilized. That hurt, especially in view of the upcoming squatter against The Gunners. “Two late hits for United are an unexpected boost for Arsenal,” the London Evening Standard wrote on the other side of the coin. Because Erik ten Hag sustained more damage at Selhurst Park with the yellow card for Casemiro.
Casemiro’s suspension is a huge blow to both sides of Manchester
Casemiro’s automatic suspension will hurt Manchester United more than Crystal Palace’s loss of points. That’s what Jamie Redknapp said at Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. “It couldn’t have ended worse for United,” he pointed to the yellow card for the Brazilian midfielder, who will therefore have to miss the game against Arsenal. “We talked about it before. Don’t get yellow. That was so important because they need him on Sunday. When he was booked in the eightieth minute, it seemed as if all the air had gone out of the team. It had such a big effect,” the analyst continued.
In the eyes of Redknapp, Bruno Fernandes was also responsible. He added, “You could see that Casemiro was furious with Fernandes, who let the game go before. As a result, he comes one on one with Zaha and gets booked. I could see Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta dancing in the room when that happened. United have no one who can do what Casemiro does.”
Redknapp concludes, “The loss of the Brazilian will also be felt, according to Manchester Evening News. To make matters worse, Casemiro has been suspended against Arsenal. His move against Zaha, his fifth caution, was symptomatic of United’s fruitless dominance. They also lack an alternative for defensive midfielder Casemiro.”
