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‘Very debatable’: Analysing every Casemiro card for Man Utd this season

Ben Stewart •

Casemiro has quite the reputation for being a tough-tackling midfielder, but has his notoriety gone against him this season in the eyes of Premier League referees?

His latest red card against Southampton has sparked a huge debate in the footballing world and we couldn’t help but revisit some of his other bookings throughout the season.

We’ve gone back through the season and assessed whether or not Casemiro has been hard-done-by in the Premier League this season.

Newcastle yellow

Casemiro can’t have any complaints about his booking against Newcastle as he was booked for a hefty challenge on Ryan Fraser, just moments after winning a crunching tackle against Joelinton.

Plenty of controversy surrounded the goalless draw though as Cristiano Ronaldo saw his goal chalked off. We’ll let you be the judge if this one should have stood.

Tottenham yellow

The Brazilian midfielder was hailed for his role against Tottenham in United’s 2-0 win at Old Trafford and some eyebrows were raised over the validity of his yellow card.

The United midfielder was booked early in the second half for his first foul of the game. The booking didn’t end up having an impact on the game itself but was perhaps the first example of Casemiro being hard done by.

Wolves yellow

His yellow card against Wolves was warranted after he had escaped a yellow card in the first half for a tactical foul on Ruben Neves. It was no surprise that his lunge against Daniel Podence was enough to see him booked.

Manchester City yellow

Casemiro was like a Rolls-Royce in midfield for United in the Manchester derby and he picked up a booking just moments before he was taken off. Just like Fernandinho before him, Casemiro has mastered the art of the tactical foul.

His late lunge to deny Erling Haaland the chance to equalise remains to be one of his best moments this season. His passion is also infectious.

Crystal Palace yellow

The booking he picked up at Selhurst Park ended up having a detrimental impact on United as Casemiro was then suspended for their game against Arsenal due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Considering the game was ticking towards its conclusion and United were leading at the time, this one was an avoidable booking.

Crystal Palace red

“Casemiro is protecting our player, and protecting the player [Hughes], holding him back,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports after the game. “If Casemiro should have been sent off, many more players should have been sent off.”

His first red card of the season sparked a huge debate and the Brazilian midfielder then missed United’s next three league matches. In the absence of Casemiro, they then dropped points in their next game against Leeds.

Plenty of fans and pundits alike had strong opinions about the decision to send him off, but we can’t help but think he got a little bit unlucky here.

Southampton red

His latest red card is sure to rock the boat at Old Trafford as he will now miss their next four domestic matches. “What I think is the inconsistency, players don’t know anymore what is the policy,” Ten Hag told reporters after the match.

“Casemiro is across European games, over 500 games he never had a red card. Now he has two. Think about that. He plays tough but he plays fair. And also in this, he’s playing fair, same as against Crystal Palace, so it’s very debatable.”

The Brazilian midfielder won the ball with his lunging slide tackle, but his high boot left the referee and VAR with a decision to make.

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