Manchester United

Careless Casemiro costs Man Utd! Winners & losers after Brazilian's red card forces David de Gea & Co to battle for a point against Southampton at Old Trafford

Richard Martin
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David de Gea and Lisandro Martinez were influential in Man Utd's 0-0 draw against Southampton after the team were hamstrung by Casemiro's red card.

A rash tackle by Casemiro meant the Red Devils' game-plan against a struggling Southampton went out the window, but an excellent defensive display meant they averted disaster.

De Gea made two spectacular saves to deny Theo Walcott but it is to the credit of his defence that he was not called upon more in a hugely entertaining, end-to-end game at Old Trafford.

Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were brave and intelligent while full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw also worked hard to keep the energetic visitors at bay.

United could even have snatched a win, with Bruno Fernandes hitting the inside of the post in the second half.

The draw was obviously a disappointing result given the quality of the opposition but Liverpool's shock defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday means United are eight points ahead of the Merseysiders a week after their historic humiliation at Anfield. It could have been far worse.

Then again, if Casemiro had kept his head on they could have had a 10-point cushion in the top-four.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford.

Editors' Picks

  1. WINNER: David de Gea
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    WINNER: David de Gea

    Erik ten Hag said he could not "ignore" the Spaniard's poor kicking against Real Betis in the Europa League last week, but the goalkeeper was back doing what he does best here, saving shots that looked destined to go in.

    His first act was to tip a close-range header from Theo Walcott over the bar.

    After the break, Walcott tore towards goal unchallenged and looked certain to hit the net but De Gea again got in his way.

  2. LOSER: Casemiro

    The Brazilian looked distraught when he was shown the red card but he only has himself to blame. He landed studs up on Carlos Alcaraz and once the VAR officials advised Anthony Taylor to have another look at the tackle, there was only going to be one outcome.

    It left United a man down for 56 minutes and the worst thing is that as this was Casemiro's second straight red card of the season, they will have to do without their Brazilian lynchpin for their next four domestic games.

    He will miss the home game against Fulham in the FA Cup next week and their next three Premier League matches, beginning with a daunting trip to Newcastle just after the international break. He will still be able to play in the Europa League, however.

    United really struggled without Casemiro against Arsenal and Leeds earlier this season when he was banned for being sent off against Crystal Palace, so Scott McTominay and Fred will have a lot of pressure on their shoulders filling in for him.

  4. WINNER: Lisandro Martinez
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    WINNER: Lisandro Martinez

    United needed cool heads after Casemiro's clumsy tackle left them with their backs against the wall.

    Martinez had ice in his veins, calmly taking on Southampton forwards in his own half and seamlessly distributing the ball.

    And he made a series of crucial intervention, cutting out key passes.

    Then there was the way he caught up with Walcott and breathed down his neck, helping put the forward off as he failed to beat De Gea.

  5. LOSER: Wout Weghorst
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    LOSER: Wout Weghorst

    The Dutchman ended his goal drought against Real Betis but any hope that his confidence would be lifted by scoring was soon dashed when he spurned a free header.

    His lack of pace also prevented United from effectively breaking through Southampton's ruthless press.

    It was little surprise that he was sacrificed by Ten Hag as soon as Casemiro was sent off.

    If anything, United's attack improved with 10 men, precisely because Weghorst was not playing.

  7. WINNER: Kyle Walker-Peters
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    WINNER: Kyle Walker-Peters

    Southampton's best player. He was a big threat in attack and almost scored, hitting the far post after cutting inside from the right.

    But most impressive was his tackling, making perfectly-timed challenges on Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.

    United appealed for penalties on both occasions but the replays showed that Anthony Taylor was right not to listen to them.

  8. LOSER: Marcus Rashford
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    LOSER: Marcus Rashford

    The striker looked tired and struggled to get in many good positions.

    He missed his only shot and should have done better when he was one-on-one with Gavin Bazunu in the second half, going to ground too easily and not earning a penalty.

    Rashford has been a shining light for United since the World Cup break, but his latest performance suggests that burnout could be an issue as the fixtures continue to pile up for Ten Hag's side.