'Casemiro is the new Undertaker': Man United star trolled after red card shown for grabbing Hughes' throat

Following his red card against Crystal Palace for putting his hands around an opponent's throat, Casemiro will miss Manchester United's next three games. In the 70th minute of the clash at Old Trafford, following a VAR review by the referee and a review of the event on the monitor, the former Real Madrid star was sent off for his conduct towards Eagles player Will Hughes during a brawl on the field.

Despite finding the game more difficult after the Brazilian's dismissal, Manchester United defeated the south London team 2-1, thanks to a penalty shot by Bruno Fernandes and a goal from Marcus Rashford. However, despite the suspension, Casemiro will return in time for the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at the end of the month.

The defensive midfielder won't play in United's next three games, which include back-to-back contests against Leeds, a home meeting against Leicester City, and a Europa League match against Barcelona.

The incident started when Crystal Palace player Jeffrey Schlupp knocked United's Antony off the pitch, which led to the Brazilian pushing the Ghanaian off the pitch. Following a 20-person brawl, VAR official Tony Harrington informed the on-field referee that Casemiro's event warranted additional review with the pitchside monitor. Marriner went to the monitor and agreed with Harrington, before coming back on the pitch to brandish the red card at Casemiro.

United boss Erik Ten Hag blasted the decision to single out Casemiro and claimed that Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew was guilty of the same offence against Fred, criticising the lack of fairness or consistency.

"I see two teams fighting each other,' said the United manager. "I see two teams where several players crossed the line, and then one player is picked out and gets sent off. For me, that's not right."

Asked if Ayew should have been one of them, the Dutchman replied, "Definitely. He did even worse than Casemiro. Casemiro, you freeze the shot and he crossed the line. Ayew definitely. You have to be consistent with VAR."

"Casemiro is protecting our player and also protecting the player who wants to attack (Hughes). He is holding him back. He doesn't want to hurt the player," Ten Hag added.

"The Palace player takes a big risk by this foul that he (Antony) could get badly injured by pushing him across the line. Then everyone is reacting, Crystal Palace players and Man United players. Not only Casemiro," he said.

"I thought it was a really high level match for the first 70 minutes until that incident took place. Then you see this team stands for each other. There is such a good spirit in the team and they don't accept when a player from us can be badly injured, that is the way Antony got treated. This team sticks together but, of course, you have to control your emotions. It is really difficult in such moments. You have to stand as a team, but you have to stay in control because we are role models," the United boss stated.

Meanwhile, Twitter exploded with memes and trolls following Casemiro's red card incident, with most users calling the Man United star the new 'Undertaker'. The WWE superstar was noted for his signature 'chokeslam', which he landed on an opponent throughout his career as a winning move.

Here's a look at how football enthusiasts reacted to the incident at Old Trafford on Saturday: