Cristian Romero was sent off 29 minutes into the first half after an infringement on Casemiro at the intersection between Tottenham and Manchester United at Old Trafford, corresponding to matchday 25 of the English tournament.The direct sanction by referee Michael Oliver left the visiting team with one player less.He could receive a three-game suspension.The home team won 2-0 with goals from Bryan Mbeuno and Bruno Fernandes.
Cuti covered a ball in the defensive zone and tried to come out playing with possession, but he did not raise his head in time and was pressured by Casemiro, who won possession and got a mark on his left ankle from the violent smash.The Argentine Lisandro Martínez, a teammate from Cordoba on the Argentine national team and a personal friend, appeared on the scene.The former Belgrano had no choice but to resign himself and leave the captain’s hat to the Dutchman Micky van de Ven.
Shortly after the expulsion, Manchester United went ahead on the scoreboard with Mbeuno’s goal, after a great laboratory play following a corner kick.The numerical advantage had an immediate impact on the development of the match, forcing visiting coach Thomas Frank to introduce an urgent tactical change.
To reinforce the defense after the red, the technical director ordered the entry of Ragu Dagusin, who replaced forward Wilson Odobert.The expulsion of the Argentine defender, world champion with the Argentine National Team, conditioned Tottenham’s aspirations for the rest of the game.
The Argentine defender’s red card originated in a context convulsed by a media clash with his coach.The episode of tension shook Spurs after the defeat against Manchester City, where only eleven first-team players were available.Cuti described the situation as “incredible, but true and shameful,” which generated discomfort within the London club and provoked the response of its coach, Thomas Frank.
The Danish coach addressed the controversy in the press conference prior to the match against United.”Right now he is the captain, he has a long contract and signed a renewal. Although I have no idea if he will continue next season, there is always a line that cannot be crossed or that cannot be crossed too many times”, thus opening a new question about the player’s continuity.
At the end, United ended the story thanks to the opportunism of Bruno Fernandes.In this way, those led by Michael Carrick remain in fourth place in the British league, 8 points behind the leader Arsenal (they host Sunderland today).
For its part, the Tottenham team is in 14th place in the Premier (along with CrystalPalace, which visits Brighton tomorrow, and Leeds United) and maintains a 9-point gap with the relegation zone, although the difference could be shortened if WestHam adds Burnley as a visitor on this day.Qualification for European competitions is increasingly distant and the future of Romero, world champion with the Argentine National Team in 2022, could be far from London, since Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona are closely monitoring his situation.
