It was Casemiro’s eighth yellow in his last nine matches for United, with two coming in the same game against Galatasaray and equalling a red. Referees usually show them when he has either lunged in to stop an attack around the box or when halting an opposition counter in midfield.
He was very unlucky to get booked at Villa Park when making no contact with
Matty Cash, who was sprinting past him down the right, and Casemiro’s prolonged protest — arms out wide, head in hands, turning repeatedly to the different officials — was undoubtedly borne from a sharp sense of injustice. He also disputed the Luton caution, collapsing to his knees, but he got on with the game much more quickly in a sign that he understood this card was warranted.
The issue for United is that these moments in which he is forced into stretched defensive actions are becoming more frequent. Of players to have featured for at least 500 minutes in the Premier League this season, he has the second-highest figure for dribbles past per 90 at 2.76.
Mathias Jensen is top with 2.9, while
Trent Alexander-Arnold is third with 2.6.
Last campaign, Casemiro was dribbled past on average 2.08 times per 90 (equating to seventh in the list of players), so there has been a rise this term and therefore a greater requirement to intervene. It is difficult to say how much of that is down to the player potentially fading at the age of 31 or the configuration of Ten Hag’s team.
