Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford by Southampton after Casemiro was sent off in the first half.
The Brazilian midfielder was sent off for a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz. Referee Anthony Taylor initially displayed a yellow card before a VAR check convinced him it was serious foul play and a red card was displayed.
Bruno Fernandes had the best chance of the game, forcing Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to make a great save to force it onto the post.
David De Gea’s heroics aided in keeping the game scoreless. In the first half, he denied Theo Walcott with an incredible reflex save from close range. And in the second half, when Walcott went one-on-one with the Spanish goalkeeper, De Gea made an incredible save to keep the clean sheet.
United began with a flurry of quick counterattacks. The best of those came when Antony attempted to find Aaron Wan-run, Bissaka’s but the right-cross back’s was easily handled by the Saints defence. Moments later, Luke Shaw whipped in a wonderful cross into the penalty area, but it went over Wout Weghorst’s head and Antony was unable to get a clean enough connection to have a shot on target.
Marcus Rashford was involved in the following attack. The English international darted into the box after a quick one-two with Bruno Fernandes. The in-form forward shrugged off the defender and attempted to tuck the ball into the far corner, but Gavin Bazunu saved his shot.
In response, the Saints took advantage of their best opportunity of the half. After several missed chances to test David De Gea, United’s clearance fell to left-back Romain Perraud, who fired a cross into the path of Theo Walcott. The ex-Arsenal striker’s thunderous header forced De Gea into a world-class reflex save to force the ball over the crossbar and keep the game tied.
When Casemiro was sent off for a challenge on Carlos Alcaraz, the game took a dramatic turn. The Brazilian midfielder made a strong tackle on the Argentine, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to show him a yellow card. However, after consulting VAR, the referee reversed his decision and produced the red card, reducing United to ten men. As a result of his second sending-off of the season, Casemiro will miss the next four games.
After the dismissal, United responded positively, with Fernandes sending in a wonderful free-kick to the back post into the path of Raphael Varane, but the defender’s shot was well saved by Bazunu. When Rashford’s cross was blocked in the area by Armel Bella-arm, Kotchap’s Anthony Taylor decided the active limb was in a natural position and declined to award the Reds a penalty.
Southampton attempted to exploit the extra man and nearly made United pay for it. On the right wing, Kyle Walker-Peters got the better of Marcus Rashford, made his way into the area, and whipped a cross into the middle. Reds substitute Scott McTominay attempted to steer the ball out past the post, but it would have resulted in an own goal if Aaron Wan-Bissaka had not cleared off the line.
The Saints kept knocking on the door of scoring. Theo Walcott found himself one-on-one with David De Gea after breaking away from a United corner. With Lisandro Martinez closing in on him, the ex-England winger attempted a shot over the Spaniard, but De Gea came up with another brilliant save to keep the game level.
When Shaw got the better of the Southampton defence and found Bruno Fernandes in space, United appeared to have finally broken the deadlock. The Portuguese midfielder took one touch to get the ball onto his preferred right foot and fired a fantastic strike towards goal, but Bazunu’s slight touch was enough to force the shot off the post and out for a corner.
Meanwhile, on another counter-attack, Walker-Peters managed to fire a left-footed effort towards the United goal, which also hit the post. In the final minutes, United attempted to find a winner. Facundo Pellistri, a young substitute who made an impact against Real Betis on Thursday night, managed to squeeze a great pass to Wan-Bissaka on the right wing. The right-back managed to fire in a low cross aimed at Marcus Rashford, but the Saints defence was quick to react, effectively ending the Reds’ final attack.
