After reigniting hope of an English Premier League title challenge, Manchester United was left counting the cost of Casemiro’s red card after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday.
The Brazil international was sent off in the second half for grabbing Palace midfielder Will Hughes by the neck and will serve a three-match ban for violent conduct.
United is already without Christian Eriksen for the majority of the rest of the season because of an ankle injury and must cope with the loss of another influential midfielder.
Casemiro was sent off in the 70th minute, shortly after Marcus Rashford put United ahead 2-0.
Following a tussle between the teams on the sideline, VAR asked referee Andre Marriner to review footage of Casemiro and the decision was a straight red.
His absence was immediately felt as Palace set up a tense finish, with Jeffrey Schlupp scoring six minutes after Casemiro’s dismissal.
“We played a brilliant game, I thought it was a really high level the first 70 minutes until that incident,” United manager Erik ten Hag said.
United players were angered following an altercation between Schlupp and Brazil winger Antony.
“Then you see this team stands for each other,” Ten Hag said. “There is such a good spirit in the team and they don’t accept when a player from us can be badly injured. That is the way Antony got treated.”
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the penalty spot and United looked set to cruise to victory when Rashford added another.
But in front an increasingly nervous Old Trafford crowd, Palace dominated once the home team was reduced to 10 men.
United held on to move within eight points of leader Arsenal, which lost at Everton 1-0.
The celebrations from the crowd at the final whistle after seven minutes of added time demonstrated how important the fans believe the result could be as the gap to the top of the table was closed.
How to handle the loss of Casemiro, however, will be a concern for Ten Hag.
Casemiro has been outstanding for United since his summer move to England and his importance was underlined when he was suspended for the 3-2 loss to Arsenal last month.
That suspension came after he received a fifth booking of the season, which also came against Palace.
He will miss consecutive league games against Leeds and Leicester.
United won at home for the 13th time in a row as Ten Hag’s influence continues to be felt in his first season.
He has already led the team to the final of the League Cup, and Arsenal’s loss provided hope of a potential challenge for a first league title since 2013.
Fernandes put United ahead in the seventh after Hughes handled in the box.
Rashford then doubled the lead in the 62nd with a close-range finish.
But what looked like being a comfortable win was thrown into doubt after Casemiro’s red.
Schlupp beat David de Gea after United failed to clear a Palace corner, and the visitors applied the pressure in the closing stages.
Roared on by the home crowd, United, which conceded a late equalizer in a draw with Palace last month, avoided a repeat.
Misery for Liverpool
Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring the team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC at Molineux on February 04, 2023, in Wolverhampton, England. In a Premier League first, both sets of players, and match officials, will wear Green Football Weekend sustainable green armbands to highlight the initiative and put the conversation about climate change and sustainability on the world stage.
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Getty Images
Liverpool’s season is unravelling after a seventh league loss makes a bid for Champions League qualification look increasingly unlikely.
Wolverhampton inflicted the latest blow to a team that was chasing an unprecedented quadruple of trophies last term. A season later, and after one win from its last seven games in all competitions, Liverpool is searching for answers.
“We better change it. That’s true, 100%,” Klopp said. “I have no words for it really, I’m sorry.”
Newcastle misses chance
Newcastle United’s English striker Callum Wilson (L) and Newcastle United’s English defender Dan Burn (R) react at the end of the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James’ Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on February 4, 2023. The match ended 1-1.
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AFP
Newcastle could not follow United’s lead of fully capitalizing on Arsenal’s dropped points when it was matched by relegation-threatened West Ham at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s team conceded in the league for the first time since November, and it proved costly.
Callum Wilson scored after three minutes to give Newcastle a flying start, but Lucas Paqueta evened the score in the 32nd.
The draw dropped Newcastle to fourth, two points behind United.
Mitoma strikes again
Bournemouth’s Adam Smith, left, chases for the ball alongside Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth at the Amex Stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
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AP
Kaoru Mitoma might be Brighton’s latest star find after another late intervention.
The Japan international stunned Liverpool last weekend with a goal in added time to send the holder out of the FA Cup. On Saturday, his 87th-minute header sealed a 1-0 league win against Bournemouth.
Brighton has been impressive in spotting and developing talent. Marc Cucurella was sold to Chelsea for around $72 million last summer, and Moises Caicedo could command an even bigger fee at the end of this season.
Mitoma could be the next one to catch the eye of league rivals. His goal was his third in as many games.
Fight for Premier League survival
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Tete of Leicester City reacts during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City at Villa Park on February 04, 2023 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
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CATHERINE IVILL
Harry Souttar had an eventful Leicester debut.
Fresh from his deadline day move from Stoke, the defender scored an own goal but still ended up victorious as Leicester boosted its survival chances by beating Aston Villa 4-2 to secure a first league win since November.
But it was another difficult day for fellow struggler Southampton, which lost at Brentford 3-0.
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