The injury prone Stuart Holden was stretchered off after Jonny Evans tackle opened up a big bloody gash in his knee knee. The Man Utd defender and the American midfielder both went for the ball fair and square but Evans right foot left the ground and he went studs up into Holden.
You could see Nani showing a great interest in the proceedings given the brouhaha surrounding Jamie Caragher's tackle on him a few weeks ago.The zero tolerance policy kicked in and Evans was shown a red card. He now faces a 3 match ban but Utd should get back Vidic and Ferdinand after the international break.
Owen Coyle now awaits word from the medical staff on Holden's condition. Hopefully it is nothing more serious than a wound.
Actually, Ferdinand is out for the season, which all but eliminates United's already slim hopes of winning the Champions League. Additionally, Rafael is out for at least 3 weeks, John O'Shea for 5 weeks, Wes Brown is also now injured, though it is not yet determined for how long, and Vidic is expected to be back for West Ham, though not guaranteed.
The only defenders left for United at this point are Evra, Smalling, Fabio, and David Gill's son Oliver, who has never once featured for the club. Needless to say, for once, this international break is a relief and may just save United's hide here, assuming that we don't lose more players on international duty.
Elsewhere in the team, Park is back, Hargreaves is training (fingers crossed), Anderson may return to training in two weeks, and Darren Fletcher continues to be sidelined by a mystery virus that has plagued him and ruined his form for the majority of this season.
However, if Vidic isn't back for West Ham, or soon after, the title is anyone but United's. Carrick, while a very versatile player, is no centre back.
Also, according to Stuart Holden's Twitter, the injury news isn't good for him, although he did not go into specifics. Hopefully it's nothing nearly as severe as the injury he picked up against Holland last summer.