Painting the city red! Man United stars Casemiro and Diogo Dalot join their partners for dinner to toast victory over Aston Villa… as Erik ten Hag’s side keep pace with rivals Newcastle in the battle for third place
Manchester United’s Casemiro and Diogo Dalot took time out of their race for a top-four finish on Monday evening to go to dinner in Manchester.
The teammates spent the evening in Piccolino in Hale – an upscale Cheshire enclave home to a number of City and United players – with their partners.
Dalot proposed to Claudia Lopes in March this year after the couple attended a Chris Brown concert in their hometown.
Casemiro and his wife Anna Mariana have been married since 2014 and have two children: daughter Sara and son Caio.
Dalot and Casemiro have been good friends since the former Real Madrid midfielder moved to United last summer. club website November 2022.
Casemiro enjoyed a rare night off with his wife Anna Mariana at Piccolino in Hale on Monday
The pair were joined by teammate Diogo Dalot and his fiancée Claudio Lopes (centre)
The two have been good friends since Casemiro made the move to United in the summer of 2022
Both players are said to have felt guilty about some time off amid a hectic schedule and need a reward after Sunday’s 1-0 win against Aston Villa.
The victory at Old Trafford not only puts United in fourth place level with Newcastle, who are just two points ahead of them in third, but also holds off an irate Villa side.
Before losing on the road, Unai Emery’s men enjoyed a 10-match unbeaten run that took them to fifth place, but the Villans were stopped in their tracks by a 39th-minute strike from Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese star scored the only goal of the game just before half-time, but his performance did not come without criticism from his teammates.
Casemiro was involved in a heated argument with the number 8 after the final whistle and Sky Sports footage shows neither player fully satisfied with the meager victory.
But their argument has yet to have lasting consequences, and may have been just a display of what manager Erik ten Hag called ‘character’ when speaking to journalists after the match.
After the final whistle, Casemiro appeared to protest Bruno Fernandes, who scored the side’s only goal to beat Aston Villa 1–0.
But regardless of the performance, Sunday’s home win will prove crucial for United’s top four
“We saw character today, we were determined, passionate and we had to win and played good football,” said the Dutch manager.
Ten Hag will hope that passion remains in his side as they continue to battle on two fronts as the season approaches its dramatic end.
United have had an uncomplicated run in the Premier League, with their next game against Brighton posing their biggest threat to a top four finish.
But their season is far from over on May 28, as the Red Devils must face crosstown rivals Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final.