Carrick Condemns 'Appalling' Red Card Decision Against Martinez

Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has strongly criticized the decision to send off Lisandro Martinez in their 2-1 defeat to Leeds, labeling it as one of the worst refereeing decisions he has ever witnessed. The Argentine defender was given a straight red card after a brief hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin was spotted by VAR, a decision that has left Carrick fuming. Martinez will now face a three-match ban following the incident. Carrick argued that the contact was minimal and not aggressive, stating, 'It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off.' He also expressed frustration that the referee was instructed to overturn the initial decision as a clear and obvious error, calling it 'shocking.' The incident has sparked debate, with Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher sympathizing with Carrick's perspective, while former Manchester United defender Gary Neville disagreed, feeling that Martinez should have been aware of the heightened scrutiny surrounding hair pulling this season.