EKO HOT BLOG reports that Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has criticised the inconsistency of Video Assistant Referees and felt Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew should have been sent off in their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
United midfielder Casemiro was dismissed after he grabbed Palace midfielder Will Hughes by the throat.
A review by the VAR advised on-pitch official Andre Marriner that Casemiro’s action was violent conduct and warranted a straight red card.
During the same melee that spilt off the pitch, Ayew appeared to have his hand around the throat of United midfielder Fred but that was not deemed a red card offence.
Ten Hag blamed Jeffrey Schlupp for causing the 66th-minute flashpoint when he shoved United winger Antony into the pitchside ditch. Antony retaliated and both players were booked.
Casemiro’s expulsion was the first red card for a United player all season and earlier in the week, Ten Hag had expressed dismay over the decision not to penalise Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta for elbowing Lisandro Martinez in the reverse fixture last month.
Ten Hag was also unhappy at the lack of punishment for Reading striker Andy Carroll’s scissor tackle on Christian Eriksen. Eriksen is out until late April with an ankle injury.
“We played a good game,” Ten Hag said of United’s 2-1 win over Palace. “We played a brilliant game, was a really high level first 70 minutes until the incident took place and then you see this team stands for each other.
“It’s such a good spirit in the team and they don’t accept when a player from us can be badly injured and that’s the way Antony got treated.
“This team sticks together but of course, you have to control your emotions. But it’s really difficult in such a moment and I see two teams fighting each other. I see two teams of players crossing the line and then one player gets picked out, gets sent off. And for me, that’s not right.
“The player from Crystal Palace takes a big risk by this foul that he gets badly injured by pushing him across the line and you know the pitches here.
“And then everyone is reacting, Crystal Palace and Manchester United players, and not only Casemiro.
“He (Ayew) was one of the players who did even worse than Casemiro. Casemiro, you freeze the moment, I think within the shot he’s crossing the line there, I do definitely. And you have to be consistent as a VAR.
“Last week we missed Christian Eriksen by a bad foul – no interfering by VAR. Mateta is elbowing Martinez, he is running for two weeks with [a bandage] on his eyebrow and [VAR is] not interfering.
So I see this is not right and this is in the game and an influence on the game but also coming games.
“You see in this moment that the team spirit and also once again, they have to control their emotions and you can’t cross lines, there are certain standards you have to keep there as a team.
“But also you have to protect each other when players like Christian Eriksen last week, it’s not really as a colleague that you want to get another player such an injury, and it was the same with Antony today.
“So then you have to stand as a team and that’s what they did. But you have to keep yourself in control because we are role models.
“It’s more the point when everything is about consistency but you don’t want to lose, obviously.
“Players and colleagues are hurting each other that badly like the player last week did against Christian Eriksen and the player from Crystal Palace – he started this, he took a big risk by injuring Antony.
“You say it (Ayew grabbed him by the throat). But my interpretation is the same, you say the same things. That’s what we’re talking about when Casemiro was sent off in this incident. Definitely (Ayew should have been sent off).”
Ten Hag also suggested Casemiro’s tangle with Hughes appeared more aggressive when slowed down on the replay that Marriner consulted on the pitchside monitor before he flourished the red card.
“Casemiro is protecting our player and also protecting the player who wants to attack,” Ten Hag explained, “he’s holding him back, so he was protecting him, he doesn’t want to hurt a player.”
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