Wayne Rooney slams ‘naive’ Man United mistake vs Chelsea which Ruben Amorim could have avoided

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The two red cards were the main talking points during Manchester United’s chaotic 2-1 win over Chelsea.

Just five minutes into Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off, giving the Red Devils a major advantage.

Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro capitalised by giving United a two-goal lead at Old Trafford, but Ruben Amorim’s demand for aggression was taken too literally by the Brazilian, and he ended up following Sanchez down the tunnel moments before half-time.

Amorim defended Casemiro’s red card by explaining that the experienced midfielder let his passion get the better of him.

But it also set up an extremely nervous end to the match, and club legend Wayne Rooney expects better from the five-time Champions League winner.

Wayne Rooney questions ‘naive’ Casemiro red card

United were seconds away from ending a dominant first half of football with a two-goal lead when Casemiro carelessly picked up a second yellow card.

The decision was controversial given that Casemiro clearly won the ball, but he also gave the referee a decision to make when he didn’t need to.

Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Rooney labelled Casemiro’s mistake as “silly” and “naive”, but also explained that Ruben Amorim could have helped to avoid the incident.

“It’s silly, it’s naive for such an experienced player. Manchester United have full control of the game,” Rooney said.

“There’s no need for him to go into that tackle when Chelsea are down to 10 men. The conditions were difficult but that is a silly booking.

“I felt Ruben maybe should’ve taken him out of the game because you always fear that this happens and he goes and gets a second yellow card.

“It’s harsh because he wins the ball, but you can see his arms pull him down. You don’t expect that from such an experienced player, and that could have cost Manchester United today.”

Ruben Amorim faces crucial Man United midfield decision

Casemiro’s two yellow cards against Chelsea means he will now miss next Saturday’s trip to face Brentford as he serves his one-match suspension.

So far this season, the pairing of Casemiro and Fernandes has been Amorim’s first-choice partnership, but this suspension means that a decision will now need to be made.

At half-time, it was Manuel Ugarte who came on to fill the void left by Fernandes, with Kobbie Mainoo forced to wait until late in the match before replacing Fernandes in midfield.

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But Rooney wants to see more of Mainoo – as does the majority of the United fanbase – and now is the perfect opportunity to throw the Carrington graduate into the starting XI.

If Mainoo still struggles to get into the starting XI, then rumours of his desire to leave will only grow.