Erik ten Hag has accused Anthony Taylor of "influencing" Manchester United's goalless draw against Southampton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
United failed to take a grasp of the Premier League fixture after Casemiro was sent off for a reckless challenge on Carlos Alcaraz. It was the Brazil international's second red card in the league this season, which means he will serve a four-game domestic ban.
Casemiro will miss the upcoming Premier League games against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton, as well as the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham. Ten Hag insists his team will be fine without their talismanic midfielder, but his dig at Taylor suggests otherwise.
"Casemiro played over 500 games in Europe and never once got a red card," Ten Hag told Sky Sports. "Now he has two in the Premier League. His absence is not the issue. We will deal with that. This game was influenced by the referee."
United struggled to break down Southampton - who remain rooted to the bottom of the table - during the opening 30 minutes of the game. Their task became even tougher after Casemiro's red card, which was shown to the midfielder after a VAR review.
Referee Taylor initially produced a yellow card for the foul but changed his mind after Marc Perry, the VAR official, advised him to look at the pitch-side monitor. After that, Taylor was left with no choice but to send Casemiro back to United's dressing room.
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Casemiro's challenge on Alcaraz was poor. The former Real Madrid star got the ball, but he caught Alcaraz with his follow through. The tackle was reckless and ended with the Southampton midfielder having six studs wrapped around his right shin.
Alcaraz was substituted during the second half and could be an injury doubt as a result of Casemiro's challenge. Question marks will be raised about Casemiro's disciplinary record, as he has been sent off twice during his last three Premier League outings.
Yet David de Gea believes Casemiro was unlucky to be sent off against Southampton. He told Sky Sports, "I think Casemiro was unlucky. He tried to touch the ball and his foot came up high. I think the referees need to show more consistency.
"Sometimes they show a red card and sometimes they don't... It's going to be tough [without him], he's a big player. We will miss him for four games but we have a big squad. We have players coming from the bench who do well. We will keep working hard."
Casemiro aside, Ten Hag has praised his team for showing "big character". He added, "Big compliments to the team. They showed big character to play so long with 10 [players]. They were physically and mentally strong to get a point."
Ten Hag also believes United should have had a penalty for handball during the first half. "Definitely," said the United boss when asked. "There's no doubt. I don't know why VAR didn't interrupt."
