Casemiro was shown a straight red card for a shocking tackle during Manchester United's clash with Southampton at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the stars of United's season, instantly repaying the £70million fee they splashed out last summer. But for the second time this season, Casemiro was given his marching orders, this time for an ugly-looking challenge on Saints midfielder Carlos Alcaraz.
Referee Anthony Taylor instantly brandished a yellow card, but was quickly advised to check the pitchside monitor due to the severity of the foul. And after he viewed the incident for a second time, Taylor had no hesitation in overturning his initial decision to reduce United to 10 men.
Casemiro was visibly distraught at letting his team-mates down, but was given a good ovation from supporters, who were desperate to see their side secure a valuable three points. His latest sanction comes at the worst possible time for Erik ten Hag's side as they look to bounce back from the 7-0 thrashing they suffered at Liverpool last weekend.
That 90 minutes on Merseyside was also Casemiro's worst in a United shirt, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher happy to point out his flaws. "It really stood out for me because I think he's been one of the best players in the Premier League this season," the Liverpool legend explained.
"He has completely turned Manchester United's season around, but he was very, very poor yesterday. It's easy to look at Fred, Antony, (Diogo) Dalot, players like that. I think, when you go away to Liverpool and you lose that badly, you look at your big players. You look at your centre-backs, at (Marcus) Rashford, at Casemiro.
"Early on, I could see he was just not at the races. He actually gave away with five of his first six passes."
Casemiro is now set to be absent for United's next FOUR Premier League matches due to the fact he was also sent off earlier this season. On that occasion, he was shown a red card following a melee during the home clash with Crystal Palace. That means his next appearance in the league will be on April 22, missing games with Newcastle, Brentford, Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Against Southampton, United had lined up with Casemiro alongside Bruno Fernandes at the base of their midfield, allowing the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford to support lone striker Wout Weghorst.
Ten Hag had praised Fernandes' versatility in being able to play from a deeper position, but his plans were thrown into tatters with the red card. In reaction, the Red Devils boss sent on Scott McTominay to replace the misfiring Weghorst, with Rashford moving into a central position.
Even before they were given a numerical advantage, Southampton had troubled their hosts and created a number of half chances during the opening exchanges. They came into the game bottom of the table, but had won two of their last three, including a victory at Chelsea.
