Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has accused Casemiro of a lack of respect after the Manchester United midfielder was sent off on Sunday.
United picked up an important set of three points after a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford sealed the win, but United had to hang on at the end after losing Casemiro to a red card and conceding in the aftermath.
Casemiro was sent off for wrapping his hands around Will Hughes’ collar during a brawl between the two teams in the second half.
Speaking after the game, Palace accused Casemiro of not respecting his opposition players.
“I didn’t see the red card, I was far from it,” Vieira said, as per Manchester Evening News. “The game has to be played with respect, and sometimes when you don’t respect your opponent, things can happen.
“The player from United was looking for it, and he created this situation. But it’s about remaining calm, concentrate on what you want to do, and I was pleased with the character we showed today.
“It was a tough game, really tough decision from the referees. But we tried to play with a lot of discipline, we conceded the first goal and it was tough for us but we managed to stay in the game.”
Manchester United fans will remember how Vieira was never shy of a scuffle back when he played for Arsenal, so it feels ironic for him to question another professional’s level of respect for doing similar.
Did Vieira always respect his opponent? How about when he had a go at Gary Neville in the tunnel before a ball had been kicked? As Roy Keane would say, Vieira did always try to come across as the nice guy but we’re not buying it.
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