Manchester United were unable to break the deadlock when they faced Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The points were shared at Old Trafford with Manchester United drawing 0-0 with Manchester City in a fairly underwhelming derby clash.
Gary Neville described the performance as “robotic” with both teams severely lacking threat when going forward.
Ruben Amorim’s side did have the better chances to take the lead, but United’s goalscoring problems continued. Rasmus Hojlund was starved of the ball once again, and it is becoming more and more obvious that United must invest in a new top-class striker.
There were a few flash moments of controversy, including Ruben Dias’ challenge on Alejandro Garnacho inside the first minute. In the second half, referee John Brooks was called upon again for a penalty incident.
Mark Clattenburg on Casemiro’s penalty claim
With just 10 minutes left on the clock, United were growing in confidence and looking more likely to score.
Casemiro was excellent against City and the Brazilian went to ground in the box following a challenge from Mateo Kovacic.
Referee Brooks immediately signalled that it wasn’t a penalty, and after a short review, VAR agreed with his decision.
United in Focus have spoken exclusively to former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg on his thoughts on the incident.
“The challenge by Kovacic on Casemiro is not a penalty kick,” Clattenburg said. “Kovacic realises that he was not going to play the ball and pulls his foot away without making any contact on the ball or Casemiro.
“Casemiro anticipates some contact and goes down holding the back of his leg. As Casemiro goes to the ground, Kovacic jumps above the fall of Casemiro to create any other contact.
“The correct call by the referee who can be seen showing his arms to signal no penalty and the replays from behind the goal as well as the side view backs up the no penalty decision.
“Credit when it’s due, the referee John Brooks called two big decisions in the match correctly without the use of VAR.”
Casemiro’s redemption at Man United
Back in February, there were a few moans and groans in the fanbase when Casemiro insisted he is staying at United until his contract expires in 2026.
At the time, Casemiro was struggling to get into Amorim’s side and looked a poor fit for his 3-4-2-1 system.
Ultimately, Casemiro was a panic buy from United after Erik ten Hag’s poor start to his tenure at Old Trafford. The Brazilian midfielder enjoyed a strong debut season but his form quickly began to fall away and it looked like an exit was best for all parties.
However, Amorim admits Casemiro has surprised him by turning things around at United.
“He wasn’t playing because I understood he wasn’t the best option for the way we want to play, but he kept working,” Amorim said.
Now, alongside Manuel Ugarte, it seems United have a solid midfield duo – and Manchester City struggled to get past the duo on Sunday afternoon.
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