Lisandro Martinez and Antony were almost in the technical area. Antony applauded Luke Shaw for a cynical foul that warranted a yellow card.
Southampton are unlikely opponents to bring out the siege mentality in Manchester United. United played with 10 men for an hour as both goals led charmed lives in an enthralling goalless draw.
Erik ten Hag approached referee Anthony Taylor on the pitch at full-time and they shook hands professionally. United will not be appealing Casemiro's overzealous 34th-minute tackle on Carlos Alcaraz that signalled his second expulsion of the season.
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United supporters had harrumphed at referee Taylor's officiating all afternoon before he consulted the monitor adjacent to the away dugout. A Southampton analyst sat a couple of dozen of rows back immediately opined it was a red card offence from Casemiro. Taylor agreed.
Casemiro was consoled by Antony, Martinez and the Southampton striker Che Adams. The contrite Casemiro shared an embrace with an understanding Alcaraz.
Coincidentally, the referee Andre Marriner, who flourished the red card at Casemiro against Crystal Palace last month, was the VAR who advised Taylor to consult the monitor. If Matt Le Tissier was not of a Southampton persuasion, he might have peddled another conspiracy theory.
United will have to cope without Casemiro against Fulham in their FA Cup quarter-final and in their April league meetings away at Newcastle and at home to Brentford and Everton. United fared reasonably during Casemiro's three-match absence in February, winning two and drawing with Leeds, but were exposed at Arsenal in January during his first ban.
The bigger picture for United is their league form has to be addressed before Easter. Although Liverpool suffered another false dawn, Tottenham have made up some ground this week and consolidating third place with two more trophies to play for would manage the workload. United have won three of their last eight in the league.
The indignation at Taylor's officiating had been simmering prior to Casemiro's dismissal and the refusal to penalise Armel Bella-Kotchap for a possible handball inside the area left Bruno Fernandes so apoplectic he confronted Taylor with the ball still in play. Marriner was content with the original decision.
To compound Taylor's contentious half, he added a meagre one minute of added time when Casemiro's challenge had caused a stoppage that must have totalled close to five minutes.
Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw and David de Gea all approached Taylor at half-time before he disappeared down the tunnel. He reappeared before both sets of players to one of the loudest chorus of boos reserved for a referee at Old Trafford.
Plenty of the United supporters arrived in a narky mood. "Sell United and f--k off home," demanded the militant faction of the matchgoers. They directed their frustration at the Glazer family onto Taylor, surely the most unpopular man from Wythenshawe to step foot in M16.
United were their own worst enemies at times, committing naive and obvious fouls they still contested. Fernandes and Wout Weghorst were both fortunate not to be cautioned for dissent.
Of more immediate concern to United in the wake of Casemiro's departure was they did not have a single central midfielder on the pitch. That was a peculiar tactic by Ten Hag against the accomplished duo of James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia, so assured since his transfer from Manchester City another transfer in the summer is foreseeable. Southampton's fans cheered at full-time yet they are the league's basement club.
Ten Hag hooked Weghorst and introduced Scott McTominay before half-time. That was dubious as United had no obvious outlet up front as Rashford continued off the left and Sancho, so indisciplined with his positioning as the No.10 he repeatedly drifted to the right, occasionally occupied the centre forward area to no effect.
United were more balanced with Facundo Pellistri and Alejandro Garnacho either side of Rashford in the second half and the former was industrious in his sixth cameo. Garnacho, who received treatment after a robust challenge by Kyle Walker-Peters, was not and the substitute was substituted in the 90th minute. Garnacho headed straight down the tunnel and appeared to be walking freely.
Fernandes went from frothing to almost finishing in the 68th minute, but for a stupendous fingertip onto the post by Gavin Bazunu, also formerly of City's academy. A minute later, Kyle Walker-Peters rattled David de Gea's upright.
The frantic Southampton analyst likened the match to ping-pong. Theo Walcott gathered one pass and found himself the furthest player upfield and still inside his own half. Martinez, in his element defending 10-v-11, raced back to unsettle Walcott before he spooned a shot at De Gea.
On his first United start in central midfield, Fernandes thrived when the interplay was accelerated and his promptness created the first opportunity for Rashford, uncharacteristically impotent in his one-on-one with Bazunu.
Bazunu, on loan at Rochdale only two seasons ago, hit his first errant kick into touch but that was his sole lapse. He alertly foiled Raphael Varane from a free-kick during an adrenaline-fuelled counter-charge by United as half-time loomed.
When United pressed aggressively, Southampton always ceded possession. The visitors' analyst was so preoccupied with the defence when Southampton went on the attack he shouted “Press defence: it’s f—--g three-vs-two!” as though controlling a video game.
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