Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that goal scorer Edinson Cavani should not have been sent off against Everton last night.
Cavani was involved in an incident with Everton’s Yerry Mina, during which he appeared to grab the defender by the throat. VAR was not in use, with it being the Carabao Cup, and thus the incident was not seen by the match officials and Cavani was allowed to continue on in the contest.
MORE: Video: Edinson Cavani scores crucial goal for Man United after escaping violent conduct red card vs Everton
Cavani choke slamming our Mina pic.twitter.com/mFyFBHXKeS
— grainne boyd (@BoydGrainne) December 23, 2020
With two minutes left on the clock, that man Cavani fired home with his left-foot to set Man United on course to victory – something that will no doubt be leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of Mina and the entire Everton fan base.
Solskjaer, though, revealed his belief after the game that it was not a red card. He moved to deny that there was anything significant in the coming together between the two players. He’s quoted by the BBC saying:
“Nothing in it, two South Americans that have had a few battles before, they met in Copa America qualifiers so no this was a proper game of football. With fans, tackles, yellow cards and chances at both ends, I enjoyed it.”
While Mina may well have overreacted, as soon as you lay hands on another footballer you’re taking a risk. If VAR was in use, Cavani would be sent off, which is the most difficult thing to accept from an Everton perspective.