Manchester United central defender Nemanja Vidic will be suspended for their next two Premier League matches after his sending off against Liverpool on Saturday.
The Football Association (FA) confirmed Vidic’s ban on Monday after he was dismissed during United’s 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool, which throws open the English title race. The Serbian star was forced to haul down Steven Gerrard after making a defensive error and referee Alan Wiley swiftly brandished the red card. From the resulting free kick, Fabio Aurelio scored Liverpool’s third to wrap up the three points. It was Vidic’s second red card of the season — the first coming in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in September — and completed a miserable afternoon. He was at fault as Fernando Torres equalized Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty opener for United and looked unsettled throughout until his second late blunder. Vidic, who is tipped to be named player of the year for his outstanding performances in United’s quintuple bid, will miss Saturday’s trip to Fulham and the home game against Aston Villa on April 5. Liverpool and Chelsea cut the gap on United to four points, although both have played a game more, to give themselves renewed hope in the race for the Premier League title.
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But United’s midfielder Park Ji-sung is convinced that they will swiftly recover from the defeat. Speaking to www.manutd.kr, the South Korean said: “Obviously it wasn’t a good result for us, but the league is not over and we’re still top. “If we produce good performances, like we have been doing, for the rest of our league games this defeat will not be a big problem. “We don’t have a match until next weekend, so it’s good we can take some rest and get ready to play Fulham.” Vidic is likely to be replaced at the center of defense for the now crucial trip to Fulham by Northern Ireland youngster Jonny Evans.
