Liverpool-supporting Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes was seen shushing Manchester United's supporters after his opponent Casemiro was sent off on Saturday.
The former Watford star also held up six fingers to the home fans after the Brazilian's red card gave Palace an opening back into the game. The number is a reference to the number of Champions League titles won by the Anfield club.
United were comfortable at 2-0 up when their number 18 saw red for his part in a brawl, and the 10 men eventually held on for a 2-1 victory. Referee Andre Marriner missed the incident in real-time, but brandished the red card after the video assistant referee called him over to watch a replay on a pitchside monitor.
Hughes, who was born in Surrey and grew up in Derby, has spoken in the past about his Liverpool fandom. One such comment came back in 2016, when his Derby County side prepared to face the Reds in the EFL Cup.
"Steven Gerrard, with the way he played, the way he went about his game and his demeanour was my favourite player growing up and I followed him quite closely,” the former England under-21 international said, per The Express. “I used to go quite a bit to watch them when I was younger and an academy player but obviously it’s a lot more difficult nowadays.
“That was Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres and Gerrard in their prime. It wasn’t a bad team.
“Why Liverpool? I couldn’t really tell you. They were just the team I followed growing up so you can’t say I was a glory supporter because they weren’t very successful in that period. I just had an admiration for them and followed them ever since.”
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Hughes was withdrawn by Palace manager Patrick Vieira shortly after Casemiro's dismissal. The visitors quickly pulled a goal back through Jeff Schlupp, but couldn't find a vital second as United climbed to third in the table.
"Casemiro crossed the line; you saw that," Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag said after the game. "However, I'm unhappy with the inconsistent refereeing; not only this game but also [away to] Palace.
"They elbowed Martinez and last week with Eriksen. A lot of other players crossed the line, including some Crystal Palace players. VAR didn't intervene with them."
Fresh footage appeared to show a second raised arm in the brawl which led to the red card for Casemiro. Jordan Ayew escaped punishment, though, with VAR failing to spot the Ghana international's arm seeming to make contact with the neck of Man Utd midfielder Fred.
If Casemiro's ban is upheld, he will miss three Premier League games. However, he will be available for the Carabao Cup final and the Europa League play-off against Barcelona.
