Erik ten Hag hailed Casemiro’s multi-dimensional impact for Manchester United after the midfielder scored a late equaliser at Chelsea.
Casemiro rose highest to head in and make it 1-1 in the 94th minute and earn United a well deserved point on Saturday evening at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian had been one of the standout players in the middle of the pitch and his late goal, which needed VAR to confirm it had crossed the line, was just reward for a fine performance.
United were much the better side in the first third of the game and could easily have been ahead at half-time. Kepa was forced into making good saves from Marcus Rashford and Antony as United’s high press pinned the home team back.
But Chelsea grew into the match following Graham Potter’s tactical shift in the 36th minute, when he brought on Mateo Kovacic for Marc Cucurella and the game was more even from then on. However, it took a mistake to open the scoring, with Scott McTominay penalised for hauling down Armando Broja from a corner.
Jorginho tucked away the resulting penalty and Chelsea appeared to be on track for a narrow win. Casemiro then spoiled the party and Ten Hag was full of praise for his £60million summer signing.
“That’s why we brought him in,” he said in his post-match press conference. “We know he’s capable of doing that. He proved it in Spain, he proved it in the Champions League, at the highest level, so he could also do it in the Premier League.
“It’s clear, the Premier League is a different league – especially with the intensity – so he needed a short period to adapt to that. Now from game to game you see him growing and you see how important he is for our game. He brings the composure, he brings the organisation and also even scores a goal. He brings a lot to the team.”
Asked about the team’s ability to bounce back, he added: “That’s why I'm happy at this stage of the season with this point, when you are capable of fighting back like we did. We did it last week against Omonia to get the win.
“We did it today after we were down. We showed resilience and it is a really big thing for big teams to have that in your capabilities. And also therefore that is what Casemiro, among others, is bringing into the squad and the team.”
Casemiro made a slow start to his United career, often left on the substitutes’ bench while McTominay and Fred started ahead of him. But after being eased into the team, the 30-year-old midfielder is showing his quality.
He was brilliant at Stamford Bridge, breaking up play time and time again as Chelsea struggled to get a foothold in midfield. And his first goal for the club came at the perfect time to ensure United extended their unbeaten run to six games since the drubbing in the Manchester derby.
