Manchester United held on for three points against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, but face the prospect of three games without Casemiro after the midfielder was sent off.
A Bruno Fernandes penalty and a second-half goal from Marcus Rashford put Erik ten Hag's team in control, only for Casemiro to see red for grabbing Palace midfielder Will Hughes by the throat. The former Real Madrid star was dismissed after a VAR check, setting up a nervy final 20 minutes.
Jeff Schlupp pulled out back, but Palace couldn't find another late equaliser after Michael Olise's dramatic effort in the reverse fixture. Ten Hag will be satisfied with the result, but the loss of his midfielder - who recently sat out the defeat at Arsenal through a yellow card suspension - will be a concern.
The first game Casemiro will miss is just days away. United are due to host Leeds United on Wednesday, with the game originally scheduled for September but rearranged in the light of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Curiously, United's next game after that is also against Leeds. They will travel to Elland Road for the reverse fixture on February 12, with manager Erik ten Hag forced to find an alternative plan in midfield.
The straight red card brings a three-game ban for Man Utd's £60m man, and the third game of that suspension is a home meeting with Leicester City. However, he will be free to return for the Carabao Cup final, and will also be available to face Barcelona in the Europa League with the ban not applying to European competitions.
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"Casemiro crossed the line; you saw that," Ten Hag admitted. "However, I'm unhappy with the inconsistent refereeing; not only this game but also [away to] Palace. They elbowed Martinez and last week with Eriksen. A lot of other players crossed the line, including some Crystal Palace players. VAR didn't intervene with them."
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira, meanwhile, refused to be drawn on the decision to send off Man Utd's midfielder. Vieira picked up eight Premier League red cards during his own playing days, a figure which remains a record-equalling tally to this day.
"I was too far away to see it," the former France international said. "I don't want to get involved in that [on why he had his own conversation with the referee]. I don't want to get fined or suspended, so I will wait for your next question."
